The Complete Roman Army by Adrian Goldsworthy
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Book Reviews of The Complete Roman Army
Book Review: Worth the money
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't usually like books with heavy glossy pages because many publishers use that device to throw together a book that is heavy on photos and short on content. This is NOT the case here. Dr. Adrian Goldsworthy put together a great book, heavy on detail, well written and organized into a small package.
He devotes more effort into discussing the practical and operational evolution of the army than he does with the politics of the army. If you want to understand the political evolution of the army, this work will leave you short. But then again, that's not what the book is about.
As the Empire collapsed at its "ending", the tactics of its enemies had improved while the Roman Army hadn't evolved fast enough to meet the threat effectively. It would have been nice if Dr. Goldsworthy had taken some time to discuss this at greater length. But the book still gets 5 stars from me.
Book Review: Excellent, well written and researched
Summary: 5 Stars
Adrian Goldsworthy has done it again - writing an excellent short source for the history of the Roman army. This book covers all aspects from the Republican militia through the Principate professional army to the Late Roman Army.
To me, the best chapter reviewed the experiences of how the Roman soldier lived: his living quarters, food, religion, equipment, etc. There are a lot of interesting tidbits of information in this and other sections - for example, the Roman legionnaire carried most of their equipment on their backs (e.g. "Marius mules"). Also, there were small frontier forts all across Germany (a map is provided to share where they thought these were located).
This is the best single source of the Roman Army. In the future, I intend to pick this up from time to time and study sections.
If you are a student of the Roman Army, this book is for you.
Book Review: Great organizations and illustrations
Summary: 5 Stars
The book is very well organized and written in a comfortable chronological order. The illustrations are very helpful to complete the image of the army and its equipment. Especially interesting are the battle descriptions (although more interesting battles could have been chosen). It reads easily and the writing is mostly clear and to the point.
The only thing i found missing was a chapter about siege craft because the two and a half pages in which it is mentioned are most certainly not enough. And I would personally have preferred a little more information about some of the equipment.
On the broader scale, the book gives a great introduction and forms a vivid image of the workings and organization of the roman army in the mightiest point of the empires history.
Book Review: All in one place
Summary: 5 Stars
Because I am writing a novel about the Roman Army I was looking for a source that brings my research together. Having read several of Goldworthy's works I knew this book would be well researched and very readable. I was not disappointed. The graphics are great, drawings, paintings, maps, diagrams and photos really bring support the text and answer a lot of questions that even a professional researcher may have.
The complete Roman Army is just that. Although it will not stand alone, it is the one work I have in my library that answers the lions share of my questions. Since buying my first copy nearly two years ago, I have begun sending it as a gift item to other enthusiasts, even one to my editor. This book is a good investment.
Book Review: Very Informative.
Summary: 5 Stars
As a reader of history, I must say that I enjoyed this subject very much. I am just now getting into this era and reading all bio's that I can find on the various Ceasars, but I read this one first to get an ideal of how the army was organized and their make up and I was not disappointed. Adrian Goldsworthy is becoming by far my favorite author for historical events. I have read several of his works and he has done an outstanding job in this edition. It helped me to understand how the Roman Army operated and helped me to understand a lot about them. I would recommend this book to anyone who like me is just starting to read about this period of history, you will not be disappointed.