The period 31 BC-AD 43 saw the greatest expansion of the Roman Empire. In 31 BC Octavian defeated Antony at the battle of Actium and remodelled the semi-professional Roman army into a permanent force of 28 legions. Octavian became the first emperor (Augustus) and under his leadership the legions conquered northern Spain, all Europe south of the Danube line and Germany west of the Elbe. The legionaries exemplified the heroic culture of the Roman world and this title takes a behind-the-scenes look at their lives, training, weaponry and tactics, including the bloody massacre of the Teutoberg forest. Read more

Explore World War II in unprecedented detail with this compelling geographical guide. If you're interested in finding out more about one of the deadliest wars in history, then this war book is perfect for you. World War II Map by Map is an intricately detailed history book, that will encourage you to get a sense of the magnitude, mobility and speed at which the colossal armies swept through these vast landscapes during a war that claimed millions of lives and spanned through many areas globally.  Follow the key developments of World War II in unprecedented visual detail, with more than 100 specially created historical maps covering all major theatres of war. Discover how the conflict raged around the globe on land, air, and sea, while timelines provide an in-depth chronology of events. Beautiful archival photographs, contemporary artefacts, and profiles of famous leaders reveal the full story of the war that shaped the modern world.  So what are you waiting for? Journey back in time and uncover: - 9 main contemporary maps, including battle maps from both Allies and Axis countries, explain key events. - Easy-to-read text panels to accompany the maps for a deeper understanding of each topic. - Set out into 5 Chapters with 11 narrative overviews- 30 photo feature spreads exploring topics beyond the War- Produced in association with the Smithsonian Institution.  Bursting with striking illustrations and full of fascinating detail, this world war 2 book is the ultimate gift for history students, general readers, and military history enthusiasts. Whether you enjoy watching military documents, or you’re looking for the perfect gift for the history lover in your life, World War II Map by Map can be enjoyed by adults and children aged 12+ alike. Written by a team of historians headed by Richard Overy as a consultant, this history book for adults  examines in detail how the most destructive conflict in history changed the face of our world. At DK, we believe in the power of discovery.So why stop there? The Map by Map series includes other titles such as History of the World Map by Map and Battles Map by Map, each detailing historical events and placing them in the context of geography. DK's luxurious Map by Map books are fantastic history gifts, packed with fascinating facts, high-quality photography, and detailed profiles and descriptions of people and events. Read more

With a postscript describing SEAL efforts in Afghanistan, The Warrior Elite takes you into the toughest, longest, and most relentless military training in the world.What does it take to become a Navy SEAL? What makes talented, intelligent young men volunteer for physical punishment, cold water, and days without sleep? In The Warrior Elite, former Navy SEAL Dick Couch documents the process that transforms young men into warriors. SEAL training is the distillation of the human spirit, a tradition-bound ordeal that seeks to find men with character, courage, and the burning desire to win at all costs, men who would rather die than quit. Read more

Achieve Your Military Career Dreams: Master the ASVAB and Open the Door to Your Ideal Job in the U.S. Armed ForcesAs someone aiming for a career in the U.S. military, you know the importance of scoring high on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). Your future in the military depends on it.But often, to ace the ASVAB feels overwhelming.Does this sound familiar? You sit down to study but feel lost in the vast sea of topics, unsure where to start.During practice tests, you face questions that seem alien, doubting if you ever learned the material.You struggle with time management, worrying about completing the test in time.Frustration kicks in as you see no improvement in your practice scores, despite hard work.You fear that your dream job in the military might slip away due to poor ASVAB performance.It's easy to blame the complexity of the test or the lack of proper resources.But in truth, many aspirants don’t approach their preparation strategically, lacking the right methods and tools.However, there's a light at the end of the tunnel:Scoring high on the ASVAB is not a mere chance – it's a skill that can be mastered with the right approach and techniques.In this comprehensive guide, you'll uncover the proven strategies and insider tips to conquer each section of the ASVAB. From Arithmetic Reasoning to Mechanical Comprehension, you'll transform into a test-taking warrior, equipped with the knowledge and confidence to tackle any question.By the end of this book, you'll have all the tools you need to maximize your ASVAB score and secure your place in the military career of your choice.Key insights from the book:Comprehensive Coverage: In-depth material for all nine sections of the ASVAB.Effective Study Techniques: Learn how to study smart, not hard, to retain more information in less time.Test-Taking Strategies: Master the art of answering multiple-choice questions quickly and accurately.Time Management Skills: Techniques to manage your time effectively during the test.Practice Tests and Solutions: Realistic practice questions with detailed explanations to understand your mistakes.Psychological Preparation: Tips to stay calm and focused during the test.Score Improvement Tactics: Strategies to boost your score in each section.Understanding ASVAB Scores: A breakdown of how the ASVAB is scored and what your scores mean.Job Opportunities: Insights into various military career paths based on your ASVAB scores.Personalized Study Plans: Tailor your study schedule based on your strengths and weaknesses.Military Requirements: Overview of physical, educational, and moral standards for enlistment.And much more!For high schoolers, college students, or anyone aspiring to join the U.S. military, this guide is your key to mastering the ASVAB and stepping confidently into the career you've always wanted.Don't wait any longer. Take the first step towards your military career. Order your copy today! Read more

Winner of the International Skiing History Association's Ullr Award in 2023.L Company of the 86th Mountain Infantry Regiment went into action with 185 men, and sustained 156 casualties in just two months of fierce combat with German forces. Heroes in Good Company turns interviews, letters, memoirs, archived documents and more into a seamless narrative of the wartime experience of one company of mountain troops. Veteran accounts challenge the mythology that has built up around the 10th Mountain Division, replacing it with a gritty reality even more incredible. Previously unstudied battles are reconstructed for the first time. The character and camaraderie of individual soldiers shine through the horror of war. With unvarnished honesty, the human experience of World War Two is brought to life in intense and gripping detail, revealing as nothing before what it was like to be a US ski trooper fighting Hitler’s forces on the Italian Front. Read more

You’re no idiot, of course. You know the Crusades were a war between Christians and Muslims for control of the Holy Land. However, these bloody conflicts raged over centuries, under changing circumstances, making the whole story difficult to follow. You don’t have to don armor and cross deserts to relive the Crusades! The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to the Crusades shows you why these wars began, why they continued for so long, and how their impact on the world still resonates. This Complete Idiot’s Guide® gives you:• An introduction to the Dark Ages and the Renaissance, and why Pope Urban II would grant absolution to anyone who reclaimed the Holy Land for Christianity.• The origins of such Holy Orders as the Knights Templar, the Hospitallers, and the Teutonic Knights—and the roles they played during the Crusades.• The creation of such items as chastity belts, razors, stained glass, perfume, the crossbow, the compass, and public latrines.• The nobles—Richard the Lion Heart, Louis IX, and Frederick II—and the Muslim leaders—Saladin, Zengi, and Nur ed-Din—who held the lives of thousands in their hands. Read more

"Three words. That’s all it took. I was writing a letter home to my mom when the call rang out across the American compound: 'Get it on!' And just like that, the course of my life changed forever." Decorated U.S. military veteran-turned-country musician Keni Thomas gives a personal account of his heart-wrenching experiences in the chaotic 1993 Battle of Mogadishu to express a unique set of leadership lessons and inspired view of our greater purpose. Get It On! reminds readers "that we, as individuals, do indeed matter, that we are anything but ordinary, fully capable of carrying out life-changing assignments at any level and in any situation. We can make a difference in this world."Carrying a guitar now rather than a rifle, Keni also shares stories from the stage of the Grand Ole Opry to overseas concerts for active soldiers, always passionate about the battle that "still shapes my thoughts on a daily basis" and eager to encourage the absolute best in those who are willing to answer whatever call God places on their lives.Reviews:"Keni Thomas is a great storyteller. (This) is a book for everyone."-- War on Terror News Read more

The Teutonic Knights were powerful and ferocious advocates of holy war. Their history is suffused with crusading, campaigning and struggle. Feared by their enemies but respected by medieval Christendom, the knights and their Order maintained a firm hold over the Baltic and northern Germany and established a formidable regime which flourished across Central Europe for 300 years.This major new book surveys the gripping history of the knights and their Order and relates their rise to power; their struggles against Prussian pagans; the series of wars against Poland and Lithuania; the clash with Alexander Nevsky’s Russia; and the gradual stagnation of the order in the fourteenth century. The book is replete with dramatic episodes - such as the battle on frozen Lake Peipus in 1242, or the disaster of Tannenberg - but focuses primarily on the knights’ struggle to maintain power, fend off incursions and raiding bands and to launch crusades against unbelieving foes. And it was the crusade which chiefly characterized and breathed life into this Holy Order.William Urban’s narrative charts the rise and fall of the Order and, in an accessible and engaging style, throws light on a band of knights whose deeds and motives have long been misunderstood. Read more

From hallucinogenic mushrooms and LSD, to coca and cocaine; from Homeric warriors and the Assassins to the first Gulf War and today''s global insurgents - drugs have sustained warriors in the field and have been used as weapons of warfare, either as non-lethal psychochemical weapons or as a means of subversion. Lukasz Kamienski explores why and how drugs have been issued to soldiers to increase their battlefield performance, boost their courage and alleviate stress and fear - as well as for medical purposes. He also delves into the history of psychoactive substances that combatants ''self-prescribe'', a practice which dates as far back as the Vikings. Shooting Up is a comprehensive and original history of the relationship between fighting men and intoxicants, from Antiquity till the present day, and looks at how drugs will determine the wars of the future in unforeseen and remarkable ways. Read more

TURN YOUR HOME INTO AN IMPENETRABLE FORTRESS – WITH THE BATTLE-TESTED TACTICS OF A NAVY SEAL!✅ Are you prepared to defend your home and loved ones from any threat?✅ Do you want to fortify your house with proven military strategies that actually work?In today's uncertain world, home security is no longer optional—it's essential. The Navy SEAL Ultimate Home Defense Playbook reveals elite-level strategies to protect your family, outthink intruders, and turn your home into an impenetrable stronghold.Written by retired Navy SEAL Jake T. Donovan, this guide distills years of real-world experience into practical, no-nonsense tactics that anyone can implement.Whether you're defending against burglars, natural disasters, or societal unrest, this book gives you a proven action plan for total home security.Inside, you'll discover:🔹 The SEAL Mindset for Situational Awareness – Train yourself to spot threats before they happen and react with military precision.🔹 The OODA Loop Method – Learn the decision-making tool used by elite forces to stay ahead of attackers.🔹 Layered Defense Strategies – Create multiple levels of protection, from your property perimeter to your home's interior.🔹 Hardening Entry Points – Simple but powerful upgrades to doors, windows, and garages that make break-ins nearly impossible.🔹 Essential Survival Stockpiling – What you must have to keep your family safe during power outages, disasters, or supply shortages.🔹 The Best Defensive Tools and Gear – Discover the most effective non-lethal and tactical tools to deter, delay, or neutralize intruders.🔹 Family Emergency Drills – Ensure your loved ones know exactly what to do in a crisis with step-by-step practice plans.🎁 EXCLUSIVE BONUSES INCLUDED 🎁📌 The Ultimate Bug Out Bag Checklist – Be fully prepared for any scenario with this essential survival gear list.⚡ 50 PDF Guides on Alternate Energy – Learn innovative ways to stay powered up during blackouts and emergencies.📖 365 Essential Survival Skills – Master critical survival tacticsthat cansave your life when it matters most.This isn’t just another home security book—it’s your blueprint for complete home defense, designed by a battle-proven SEAL who knows what works in high-risk environments.Your family’s safety is in your hands. Take control before a crisis strikes.🔒Click "Buy Now" and start fortifying your home today! Read more

Combining razor-sharp analysis with dramatic narrative, vivid portraits of soldiers and commanders with illuminating discussions of battle tactics and covert actions, The Sword and the Olive traces the history of the IDF from its beginnings in Palestine to today. The book also goes beyond chronology to wrestle with the political and ethical struggles that have shaped the IDF and the country it serves—struggles that are manifesting themselves in the recent tragic escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Often revisionist in attitude, surprising in many of its conclusions, this book casts new light on the struggle for peace in the Middle East. Read more

De Re Militari (Military Institutions of the Romans) is a work by Flavius Vegetius Renatus to the Emperor of Rome. It was written to present and explain the methods and practices which brought Rome to the height of its power and glory. Vegetius emphasized the selection, training, and discipline of soldiers. He also discussed strategy, tactics, and logistics. De Re Militari was the premier guide in Europe on all matters military through the Middle Ages. To this day, it is one of the most influential military works of all time. Read more

He appeared from the shadows. Our eyes connected; he pulled the trigger.It’s 1968, a year of war and unrest in a divided America. Follow a Soldier’s journey from the fires of Baltimore to the rice paddies of Vietnam and back.Written by a Vietnam veteran/counterintelligence agent and his wife, Searching for The Hidden Enemy offers firsthand insights into war, leadership, and the challenges of family life in the military.Despite the opening quote, this book is less about “shooting and killing” than it is about:Leadership and ethics—they go hand in hand. Be wary of leaders who place their own interests above the people they serve.“What is legal?” and “What is ethical?” are not always the same. You must move beyond the law and search your heart for what is right.The importance of family support to the military’s mission.Risk management. It isn’t just about you or me. More importantly, it's about how our actions affect others.The nuances of counterintelligence operations and working with partnership forces.Searching for The Hidden Enemy sheds light on war’s challenges and its enduring lessons for leadership and humanity. This book explores personal resilience and moral decision-making in difficult and chaotic times.Step into the world of 1968. Grab Searching for The Hidden Enemy and uncover the lessons hidden in history’s shadows. Read more

He appeared from the shadows. Our eyes connected; he pulled the trigger.It’s 1968, a year of war and unrest in a divided America. Follow a Soldier’s journey from the fires of Baltimore to the rice paddies of Vietnam and back.Written by a Vietnam veteran/counterintelligence agent and his wife, Searching for The Hidden Enemy offers firsthand insights into war, leadership, and the challenges of family life in the military.Despite the opening quote, this book is less about “shooting and killing” than it is about:Leadership and ethics—they go hand in hand. Be wary of leaders who place their own interests above the people they serve.“What is legal?” and “What is ethical?” are not always the same. You must move beyond the law and search your heart for what is right.The importance of family support to the military’s mission.Risk management. It isn’t just about you or me. More importantly, it's about how our actions affect others.The nuances of counterintelligence operations and working with partnership forces.Searching for The Hidden Enemy sheds light on war’s challenges and its enduring lessons for leadership and humanity. This book explores personal resilience and moral decision-making in difficult and chaotic times.Step into the world of 1968. Grab Searching for The Hidden Enemy and uncover the lessons hidden in history’s shadows. Read more

Marine Maxims is a collection of fifty principle-based leadership lessons that Thomas J. Gordon acquired commanding Marines over a career spanning three decades of service. Dealing with the complexities and challenges of the contemporary operating environment requires an internal moral compass fixed true. These maxims focus on developing inner citadels of character, moral courage, and the resilience to persevere in a contested domain where information is key. Its purpose is to provide future leaders with a professional development plan that will steel their resolve and enable them to lead with honor. Thematically, these maxims build upon a foundation of character, courage, and will. To be effective, a leader must model and inspire the will to persevere in the face of danger or adversity. The essence of effective leadership is credibility. A leader‘s credibility is derived from a congruence of competence and character. Exceptional leaders are not remembered for what they accomplished, but how they did it. Those that lead with integrity will be remembered as a leader worth following. Read more

George Armstrong Custer wrote about his friend Pierce Manning Butler Young, who left West Point to become a Confederate general: "I remember a conversation held at the table at which I sat during the winter of '60–'61. I was seated next to Cadet P. M. B. Young, a gallant young fellow, a classmate of mine, then and since the war an intimate and valued friend—a major-general in the Confederate forces during the war and a member of Congress from his native State [Georgia] at a later date. The approaching war was as usual the subject of conversation in which all participated, and in the freest and most friendly manner. . . . Finally, in a half jocular, half earnest manner, Young turned to me and delivered himself as follows: 'Custer, my boy, we're going to have war. It's no use talking: I see it coming. All the Crittenden compromises that can be patched up won't avert it. Now let me prophesy what will happen to you and me. You will go home, and your abolition Governor will probably make you colonel of a cavalry regiment. I will go down to Georgia, and ask Governor Brown to give me a cavalry regiment. And who knows but we may move against each other during the war. . . .' Lightly as we both regarded this boyish prediction, it was destined to be fulfilled in a remarkable degree." Ralph Kirshner has provided a richly illustrated forum to enable the West Point class of 1861 to write its own autobiography. Through letters, journals, and published accounts, George Armstrong Custer, Adelbert Ames, and their classmates tell in their own words of their Civil War battles and of their varied careers after the war. Two classes graduated from West Point in 1861 because of Lincoln's need of lieutenants, forty-five cadets in Ames's class in May and thirty-four in Custer's class in June. The cadets range from Henry Algernon du Pont, first in the class of May, whose ancestral home is now Winterthur Garden, to Custer, last in the class of June. "Only thirty-four graduated," remarked Custer, "and of these thirty-three graduated above me." West Point's mathematics professor and librarian Oliver Otis Howard, after whom Howard University is named, is also portrayed. Other famous names from the class of 1861 are John Pelham, Emory Upton, Thomas L. Rosser, John Herbert Kelly (the youngest general in the Confederacy when appointed), Patrick O'Rorke (head of the class of June), Alonzo Cushing, Peter Hains, Edmund Kirby, John Adair (the only deserter in the class), and Judson Kilpatrick (great-grandfather of Gloria Vanderbilt). They describe West Point before the Civil War, the war years, including the Vicksburg campaign and the battle of Gettysburg, the courage and character of classmates, and the ending of the war. Kirshner also highlights postwar lives, including Custer at Little Bighorn; Custer's rebel friend Rosser; John Whitney Barlow, who explored Yellowstone; du Pont, senator and author; Kilpatrick, playwright and diplomat; Orville E. Babcock, Grant's secretary until his indictment in the "Whiskey Ring"; Pierce M. B. Young, a Confederate general who became a diplomat; Hains, the only member of the class to serve on active duty in World War I; and Upton, "the class genius." The book features eighty-three photographs of all but one of the graduates and some of the nongraduates. Kirshner includes an appendix entitled "Roll Call," which discusses their contributions and lists them according to rank in the class. George A. Plimpton provides a foreword about his great-grandfather, Adelbert Ames-Reconstruction governor of Mississippi and the last surviving Civil War general-and President Kennedy. Read more

America was still neutral when, in the fall of 1941, a tall, solid thirty-year-old advertising executive from Connecticut volunteered to serve as an American Field Service ambulance driver in the British Army. It was the start of an adventure that took Scott Gilmore to Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, India, and, finally, to the jungles of Burma.After an exciting and dangerous year in North Africa, where he witnessed the fall of Tobruk and the battle of El Alamein, Gilmore was accepted for training as an officer in the elite Indian Army. This was the old Indian Army of the British Raj, a fighting force of unflappable English officers, hardy Indians, and the legendary Gurkhas of Nepal. It was an army at the apogee of its skills and about to inflict on the Japanese their greatest defeat on land. With dry, offbeat humor, Gilmore describes his challenging months at the Officers Training School and with his new unit, the 8th Gurkha Rifles. As he endures the assault courses and marches, confronts the arcane rituals of the officers' mess, and learns the language and customs of his diminutive fellow soldiers, Gilmore's adaptability and good nature is notable, and his American viewpoint on the mix of cultures refreshing. Moreover, like generations of Britons, he learns to love and respect the kukri knife-wielding Gurkha warriors.When Gilmore's 4th Battalion is finally deemed ready to be put to the test as part of General Bill Slim's Fourteenth Army, it plunges into battle in the jungle-covered mountains of the Indo-Burmese border. He and his comrades fight their way across the dry plains of central Burma, execute a dangerous crossing of the mile-wide Irrawaddy River, and press on to Rangoon, enduring a hostile climate and tenacious Japanese opposition. As Gilmore moves up in responsibility to company commander and engages in night reconnaissance patrols and set-piece attacks, his experiences give a forceful picture of the fighting in one of the most difficult and remote theaters of World War II. Read more

Across the full span of the nation's history, Donald Stoker challenges our understanding of the purposes and uses of American power. From the struggle for independence to the era of renewed competition with China and Russia, he reveals the grand strategies underpinning the nation's pursuit of sovereignty, security, expansion, and democracy abroad. He shows how successive administrations have projected diplomatic, military, and economic power, and mobilized ideas and information to preserve American freedoms at home and secure US aims abroad. He exposes the myth of American isolationism, the good and ill of America's quest for democracy overseas, and how too often its administrations have lacked clear political aims or a concrete vision for where they want to go. Understanding this history is vital if America is to relearn how to use its power to meet the challenges ahead and to think more clearly about political aims and grand strategy. Read more

Lipsky, a Rolling Stone writer and an award-winning novelist, chronicles daily life at the U.S. Military Academy during the most tumultuous period in its history.In 1998, West Point made David Lipsky an unprecedented offer: stay at the Academy as long as you like, go wherever you wish, talk to whomever you want, to discover why some of America's most promising young people sacrifice so much to become cadets. Lipsky followed one cadet class into mess halls, barracks, classrooms, bars, and training exercises, from arrival through graduation. By telling their stories, he also examines the Academy as a reflection of our society: Are its principles of equality, patriotism, and honor quaint anachronisms or is it still, as Theodore Roosevelt called it, the most "absolutely American" institution?During arguably the most eventful four years in West Point's history, Lipsky witnesses the arrival of TVs and phones in dorm rooms, the end of hazing, and innumerable other shifts in policy and practice known collectively as The Changes. He uncovers previously unreported scandals and poignantly evokes the aftermath of September 11, when cadets must prepare to become officers in wartime.Absolutely American spotlights a remarkable ensemble of characters: a former Eagle Scout who struggles with every facet of the program, from classwork to marching; a foul-mouthed party animal who hates the military and came to West Point to play football; a farm-raised kid who seems to be the perfect soldier, despite his affection for the early work of Georgia O’Keeffe; and an exquisitely turned-out female cadet who aspires to "a career in hair and nails" after the Army. These cadets and their classmates are transformed in fascinating, sometimes astonishing, ways by one of America's most mythologized and least understood challenges. Many of them thrive under the rigorous regimen; others battle endlessly just to survive it. A few give up the fight altogether.Lipsky's extensive experience covering college students for Rolling Stone helped him gain an exceptional degree of trust and candor from both cadets and administrators. They offer frank insights on drug use, cheating, romance, loyalty, duty, patriotism, and the Army's tortuous search for meaning as new threats loom. Read more