Almanac of American Military History

Gr 9 Up—The material in this well-researched set is divided into 11 chapters covering the Colonial era, Westward movement, the Civil War, World War II, the Korean and early Cold Wars, and the post-Cold War era, including recent conflicts in the Middle East and Afghanistan. Each chapter begins with an extensive overview of the era, followed by date entries that vary from just a few lines to multiple pages in length. Entries about important battles are marked by a stylized sunburst. When appropriate, articles are accompanied by informatively captioned black-and-white charts, battle maps, art reproductions, and/or vintage photos; all are followed by further reading suggestions. Adding significantly to the value of the set are the numerous boxed articles. Usually at least a page long, they offer, for example, biographies of military leaders and descriptions and histories of planes, ships, and various weapons. Chapters conclude with excerpts from primary documents, statistics, and an extensive bibliography. Volume 4 contains appendixes of general statistics, military ranks, and military awards and decorations; a glossary; a comprehensive bibliography; and chronological and general indexes. This is by far one of the best military chronologies available today and it deserves a place in most collections.—Eldon Younce, Anthony Public Library, KS