The Shortest History of War
From Hunter-Gatherers to Nuclear Superpowers—A Retelling for Our Times

"War, HOO! What is it good for?!" Yeah, not much actually, particularly in the modern nuclear-armed world. That's the inescapable conclusion you'll likely reach after reading Gwynne Dyer's War, a fascinating exploration of one of humanity's greatest curses, and the source of both misery and death for......more

Pass up the first two meandering chapters, whose sole purpose would seem to be to impart that bad things happen in war ergo war is a bad thing, and this becomes a fascinating book. What follows is a fascinating chronological and sociological look at the evolution of institutionalized human aggressio......more

A phenomenal read. Based on the 1982 seven part tv series of the same name, it is a solid, unbiased and riveting examination of how we make war and why. Dyer is as objective as it is possible to be, not pushing any particular agenda, nor sparing feelings. It is a must read for anyone trying to make......more

I heard about this on the "Hardcore History" podcast. It's a comprehensive history of a universal human activity. Apparently less people per capita die in today's conflicts than in the past.......more

This is the 2005 updated version. Phenomenal! The majority of the pages of this book have either an ah-ha moment or an eye-opening epiphany that forever restructured my understanding of war. No other book has helped me to understand the political and physical realities that cause or limit war as muc......more