“The Graphic History of Gettysburg,” which used a graphic-novel format, is an excellent choice for introducing younger readers to the battle, with enough meat in its fast-paced, accurate narrative to satisfy grown-ups.

“Those Angry Days – Roosevelt, Lindbergh, and America’s Fight Over World War II, 1939-1941″ examines an interesting, if overlooked, era of American history; more significantly, it explores questions America may face in the near future.

Not a simple repackaging of commonly known facts and Eurocentric military biographies, R.G. Grant’s “Commanders – History’s Greatest Military Leaders” is a cornucopia of information on military leaders from across the span of recorded history.

The War Against the Nazi U-boats 1942-1944: The Anti-Submarine Command. L. Douglas Keeney, ed. Premiere, 2012. Paperback. 181 pages. $14.95

During the opening years of World War II, the Nazi military employed one of the deadliest nautical weapons, the submarine, …

“Elihu Washburne: The Diary and Letters of America’s Minister to France During the Siege and Commune of Paris” provides a personal account of the inner workings of American diplomacy under under extremely difficult circumstances.

The Military Quotation Book; Revised for the 21st Century. Book review. Edited by James Charlton. Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press. 176 pages. $17.99

What does an author say to prospective readers in a review about a book on military …

Soldier Dogs, the Untold Story of America’s Canine Heroes. Maria Goodavage. New American Library (division of Penguin Books), 2012. 293 pages, 28 photographs, Softcover. $16.00

Soldier Dogs, the Untold Story of America’s Canine Heroes, provides an insightful look at …

“The Civil War in Color” is a fascinating coffee-table sized book that adds life to “dusty images of a dustier past.” Period photographs have been electronically “cleaned up” to improve image quality and then colorized with careful attention to detail.

“The Guerrilla Factory: The Making of Special Forces Officers, the Green Berets,” by Tony Schwalm, presents insights into the world of Special Forces, presented in a narrative style that makes the book hard to put down.

Amy S. Greenberg’s “A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the 1846 U.S. Invasion of Mexico,” covers the political decisions and actions that led to what U.S. Grant later called a wicked war.

“Reporting the Revolutionary War” is an impressive collection of reproductions of newspaper pages from the time of the American War for Independence, a must-have for anyone interested in the period.

“Five Lieutenants” tells the stories of five junior officers who left Harvard University and volunteered to participate in a cause larger than themselves by fighting in World War I.

“Grant’s Final Victory” is Charles Braclen Flood’s moving and very intimate account of Grant’s race against time to complete his two-volume memoirs while dying of cancer.

“Playing at the World” is a scholar’s look at the gaming hobby, a heavy read but well worth the effort for those who want to learn the history of wargaming and roleplaying.

The 4-DVD set “Narrow Escapes of World War II” from Athena Learning is the original, uncut UK version of these gripping tales of desperation and courage, and features over an hour of footage not shown when the series ran on The Military Channel in the US.

Well-written and insightful, “Rome’s Last Citizen” is not only interesting for the historical perspective it sheds on Cato and Rome, but also for the light it sheds on the similarities between Rome and modern America.