Pete Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Christmas present for my brother in law. He love military history, architecture, sailing and maps. I have seen many good books of those sort discussed here- I would appreciate any suggestions. He was an Army Ranger and went to West Point if thats helps with your suggestions, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justnzane Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Kama Sutra? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Heather Has 2 Mommies Great gag gift Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungee Jumper Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Christmas present for my brother in law. He love military history, architecture, sailing and maps. I have seen many good books of those sort discussed here- I would appreciate any suggestions. He was an Army Ranger and went to West Point if thats helps with your suggestions, thanks! 832464[/snapback] Borders gift card. Seriously. My family used to buy me books for gifts; invariably I was either uninterested in them, or already had them. Finally, they figured out: buy me gift cards, stop trying to guess what books I do and do not have and would or would not like. Actually, only my sister figured that out. The rest of my family still buys me crap like books of WWII artwork ("Uhhh...that's not military history, that's art history, you dope...") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CircleTheWagons Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Borders gift card. 832494[/snapback] I agree - except here in Canada its Chapters. I also appreciate the $10 gift card for Starbucks that people give with it. I don't want to argue about Starbucks, but a free coffee, a free book, and an hour to waste in a bookstore is like heaven to me (sad, I know). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 I agree with Tom, too....I know a lot of peple think gift cards show that you don't care enough to actually SHOP for them, but I totally disagree. I love when people buy me gift cards. That being said, I believe Christmas gifts should be for children and adults should all agree to stop the madness when it comes to shopping for each other....but that's beside the point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tolstoy Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Christmas present for my brother in law. He love military history, architecture, sailing and maps. I have seen many good books of those sort discussed here- I would appreciate any suggestions. He was an Army Ranger and went to West Point if thats helps with your suggestions, thanks! 832464[/snapback] He may have already read this author, but John Keegan is excellent. His father, grandfather, greatgrandfather, etc. were soldiers in the British army, but because he was born crippled, he could only write about battle. His writing is superb: accurate (according to other historians) but absorbing. My personal favorite is his account of WWII, but others like his Face of Battle. I can't recommend him highly enough. On a lighter side, but still very good, is Stephen Ambrose. Band of Brothers and Citizen Soldiers are very good reads. Is he interested in any particular wars? All of the above are WWII, except Face of Battle (covers Agincourt, Waterloo, and the Battle of the Somme). Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungee Jumper Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 He may have already read this author, but John Keegan is excellent. His father, grandfather, greatgrandfather, etc. were soldiers in the British army, but because he was born crippled, he could only write about battle. His writing is superb: accurate (according to other historians) but absorbing. My personal favorite is his account of WWII, but others like his Face of Battle. I can't recommend him highly enough. On a lighter side, but still very good, is Stephen Ambrose. Band of Brothers and Citizen Soldiers are very good reads. Is he interested in any particular wars? All of the above are WWII, except Face of Battle (covers Agincourt, Waterloo, and the Battle of the Somme). Hope this helps. 832518[/snapback] Keegan is good. Ambrose is crap, in my opinion (as Max Hastings has said, Ambrose should spend more time writing and less time erecting monuments). Others I think highly of: Bergerud (although he only wrote two books, both are excellent), Hinchliffe (though he only wrote one, it may very well be the best book I've ever read, and I've read thousands), Martin Middlebrook, David Glantz and Jonathon House (hard-core Russian historians out of U of KS - not easy reads). Stephen Sears's Civil War histories. Robert Citino's doctrinal histories (Pete, if your brother-in-law went through West Point, he might enjoy Cition's "The German Way of War". But he might have already read it as required coursework, too.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted November 11, 2006 Author Share Posted November 11, 2006 Thanks for the tips! Hinchliffe was the best book you ever read Tom? I will have to investigate that one. A Brief History of Time is the best book I ever read Edit: Just googled Hinchliffe and found many authors with that surname. Which book is the best you ever read? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoondckCL Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 This may have nothing to do with the conversation, but Trinity is a great gook for an Irish person that enjoy's military books. That or Battle Cry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dickleyjones Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 If he doesn't have it already - Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. Incredible book! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennesseeboy Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 If he doesn't have it already - Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. Incredible book! 832541[/snapback] I second that opinion. Read it as a senior in high school and re-read it the day I left Vietnam after flying 130 some missions. The second reading was rather profound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted November 11, 2006 Author Share Posted November 11, 2006 If he doesn't have it already - Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. Incredible book! 832541[/snapback] Yossarian is one of the great literary characters ever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungee Jumper Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Thanks for the tips! Hinchliffe was the best book you ever read Tom? I will have to investigate that one. A Brief History of Time is the best book I ever readEdit: Just googled Hinchliffe and found many authors with that surname. Which book is the best you ever read? 832538[/snapback] http://www.amazon.com/Other-Battle-Luftwaf...ie=UTF8&s=books Peter Hinchliffe..."The Other Battle". It's a history of the British night bombing campaign against Nazi Germany. Very readable, lots of techincal detail but not the least bit dry and unreadable, lots of first-person anecdotes and interviews without being sappy. Eric Bergerud's writing is similarly readable and informative... http://www.amazon.com/Touched-Fire-Land-So...ie=UTF8&s=books http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Sky-Air-South-P...ie=UTF8&s=books ...but neither of his books include the overall campaign narrative that Hinchliffe has. Still, if you're looking for something to read yourself, you can't go wrong with any or all of those three (and I've seen them in bookstores, so they are all still in print). I actually wish more people would read Bergerud's "Touched With Fire"; it's an excellent portrayal of how utterly !@#$ed-up combat really is, parts of it being as applicable to Afghanistan or Iraq today as it is to the South Pacific in the early 40's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungee Jumper Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 If he doesn't have it already - Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. Incredible book! 832541[/snapback] I tried reading it a month ago. I found it insufferable. Gave up after about sixty painful pages. And I know I'm in the minority as someone who hates it...but God, I hate that book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tolstoy Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 I tried reading it a month ago. I found it insufferable. Gave up after about sixty painful pages. And I know I'm in the minority as someone who hates it...but God, I hate that book. 832643[/snapback] You and me both. I got through 80 pages and pronounced it a complete waste of time. As for Ambrose, as you know, he is not considered a scholar, and some might turn their noses at him (such as you!). However, his writing (highly anecdotal) is not without value for the layman, and if the bro-in-law in question prefers a good read above all, he might appreciate it over an accurate scholarly account. Lord knows that much scholarship is terrible reading. Also, Ambrose is my father. Just kidding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 I tried reading it a month ago. I found it insufferable. Gave up after about sixty painful pages. And I know I'm in the minority as someone who hates it...but God, I hate that book. 832643[/snapback] Oh man, I loved that book. Read it my Junior year of high school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted November 12, 2006 Author Share Posted November 12, 2006 Also, Ambrose is my father. Just kidding. 832653[/snapback] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 That being said, I believe Christmas gifts should be for children and adults should all agree to stop the madness when it comes to shopping for each other... Oh... I guess I'll return the Sony Pearl then... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Oh... I guess I'll return the Sony Pearl then... 832666[/snapback] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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