Weapons, Gear, and Uniforms of the American Revolution

Gr 4–6—Every volume offers a short introduction to its featured war, followed by chapters on equipment. Each section contains several paragraphs about specific pieces of equipment, machinery, and uniforms, many of them illustrated. The books have no conclusions; instead back matter follows immediately after the final equipment description. The extreme brevity of the introductions and the lack of context for the discussions of these weapons are problematic. Vietnam blithely describes flamethrowers as "useful" and able to "clear a tunnel of enemies," while World War II describes knives used by the Allied forces that "could take out enemies quickly and quietly." The introduction in Iraq War mentions WMDs as a reason for entering the war without revealing that none were found. These volumes don't stand alone but might be considered where there is demand for highly visual works on the military.