Military Classics

The military classics seminar, a Combat Studies Institute
history electives course at the U.S. Army Command and
General Staff College, studies the evolution of the art of war
from ancient times to the present. Course readings include
selections from Xenophon, Sun Tzu, Clausewitz, Ardant du
Picq, Fuller, Liddell Hart, and World War II general officer
biographies. As a historian and teacher of this seminar, I
have often been asked by students what they should read to
continue their study of military classic literature and to further
explore the history of war and the military profession. I
have prepared this bibliography in answer to this need.
Many of the books listed in this work are military classics,
that is, books of recognized value that set a standard of
historical or literary excellence. Others evaluate or expand on
the military classics. Focused mainly on the history of land
warfare, this bibliography begins with a general section. The
books listed cover more than one chronological period or topical
area, or are broad surveys of military history, or concentrate
on a unique subject.
The next sections are arranged chronologically beginning
with Ancient History and concluding with The Nuclear Age.
Covered here are significant historical eras, rnilitary writers,
and conflicts. The Modern Warfare section encompasses lowintensity
conflict. The remaining sections in the bibliography
are topical and include The Moral Effect of Combat (men in
battle), Russian and Soviet Military History, East Asian
Military History, Sea Power, Air Power, and The Press.