‘Creating the Nazi Marketplace’ provides background information, then illustrates the topic with stories about the people who were involved: business leaders, marketers, consumers, and Nazi officials.

“Shadow of Shiloh” is a well-documented and long-overdue biography of Gen. Lew Wallace, focusing on whether or not his tardy arrival on the field at Shiloh deserves to hang over his reputation like a shadow.

Though her book ‘The War that Killed Achilles’ is in large part a summary of the ‘Iliad,’ Caroline Alexander highlights how the poem revolves around Achilles’ anger, his motives for quitting the fight and his further decision to again don his armor.

‘The Pacific War: The Strategy, Politics, and Players that Won the War,’ by William B. Hopkins focuses on Allied strategy, political aspects, and interesting profiles and insights on the key Allied leaders, both military and civilian.

Stephen Harding’s fascinating new book, Voyage to Oblivion, examines an intriguing incident that took place on the same morning as the Pearl Harbor attack.

John R. Hale’s book ‘Lords of the Sea: The Epic Story of the Athenian Navy and the Birth of Democracy’ has a strong exposition of the Peloponnesian War, and deftly handles its ebbs and flows and the disastrous military defeats.

The book First to Die: The First Canadian Navy Casualties in the First World War by Bryan Elson covers the creation of the Royal Canadian Navy, the Battle of Coronel, and the four midshipmen referred to in the title.

Author Frederick J. Chiaventone reviews Michael Korda’s Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia.

James D. Hornfischer’s Neptune’s Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal brings to vivid life the naval battles that, in the end, decided the outcome of the Guadalcanal campaign.

Rommel’s Desert War by Martin Kitchen is very well researched and very well written though it relies too heavily on reports from German staff officers who themselves deeply disliked Rommel and sought any opportunity to discredit him.

A review of Steven J. Zaloga’s book George S. Patton: Leadership, Strategy, Conflict recognized the 64-page book wasn’t meant to be an “in-depth” biography, and it succeeds as a brief capsule of Patton’s career and leadership.

Anthony Beevor’s book D-Day: The Battle for Normandy contains much more than what its title promises, continuing through Operation Goodwood, Operation Cobra, the Mortain Counterattack, the Falaise Pocket, and the Liberation of Paris.

In Swords and Swordsmen by Mike Loades each phase of the development and use of the sword is anchored to a specific, often easily recognizable, historic figure associated with a particular type of sword, including Phillip of Macedon, Uesugi Kenshin, George Washington, etc.

If you’re interested in German and US tanks in World War II, you’ve got to own this book.

Armchair General reviews Lieutenant Colonel Pat Proctor’s latest book Media War: The Media-Enabled Insurgency in Iraq.

Armchair General reviews Ralph Peters’ latest novel, The Officers’ Club.