The Greatest War Stories Never Told : 100 Tales from Military History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy (History Channel)
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| The Greatest War Stories Never Told : 100 Tales from Military History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy (History Channel) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Search the annals of military history and you will discover no end of quirky characters and surprising true stories: The topless dancer who saved the Byzantine Empire. The World War I battle that was halted so a soccer game could be played. The scientist who invented a pigeon-guided missile in 1943. And don't forget the elderly pig whose death triggered an international crisis between the United States and Great Britain. This is the kind of history you'll find in The Greatest War Stories Never Told. One hundred fascinating stories drawn from two thousand years of military history, accompanied by a wealth of photographs, maps, drawings, and documents that help bring each story to life. Little-known tales told with a one-two punch of history and humor that will make you shake your head in disbelief -- but they're all true! Did You Know That:
Discover how war can be a catalyst for change; an engine for innovation; and an arena for valor, deceit, intrigue, ambition, revenge, audacity, folly, and even silliness. Want to know how the mafia helped the United States win World War II, when the word bazooka was coined, or how Silly Putty was invented? Read on! |
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| Reader Reviews Below Sorted by Newest First | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11-20-09 | 4 | (NA) |
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"The Greatest War Stories Never Told" is a fascinating light read, each story written on one page with the opposing page full of photos or drawings and accompanying captions. It has some well-known stories and stories my war buff, trivia loving husband didn't know.
I read it from front to back, but it's one of those books that doesn't need a bookmark. One can just pick it up and flip through at leisure. The stories needn't be read in order. It makes a nice stocking stuffer, something for the bathroom or on the nightstand. My only problem with the book is the lack of a timeline or table of contents or index. When I want to go back into the book, I have to just flip. The stories are in chronological order, so I know whether to look towards the front or the back, it would be nice to just go to the right page. (Review Data Last Updated: 2010-01-04 06:29:29 EST)
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| 11-20-09 | 5 | (NA) |
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This interesting little book contains a lot of information about various wars that don't necessarily make it into the normal scholastic history books, even on the college level. It containbs two page vignettes of war tales from ancient Greece up to the present time; little asides to more well known war tales.
It's fascinating to read about how some very small and unusual happenings changes historical events, for better or worse (depending on your point of view). The best aspect of this book is that the snippets of information are so short that you can read a few at a time, put the book down, and come back to it later. There is not a continuous narrative so it is capable of that type of sporadic reading. It's a handy book to have around when you have a few minutes, just sitting somewhere with a bit of time on your hands (I think you know what I mean!). (Review Data Last Updated: 2010-01-04 06:29:29 EST)
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| 09-27-09 | 5 | (NA) |
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I got this book for my dad because he always knows random stuff and he loves watching the history channel. He's not a huge reader but he really liked this book. It's perfect because the stories are pretty short and to the point so it's not too much reading about each story.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2009-12-04 01:46:56 EST)
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| 09-11-09 | 5 | (NA) |
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I enjoyed this book a great deal and was able to finish it in one reading. It is well written and holds your interest from beginning to end.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2009-10-28 14:15:12 EST)
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| 07-25-09 | 5 | (NA) |
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The Greatest War Stories Never Told: 100 Tales from Military History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy (History Channel)I bought 3 of the author's books to keep at our lake house for the grandkids to read. My 11 year old grandson is a history nut and always asking questions. I gave him the first book and he was hooked. He reads them over and over and wants more. There is so much history we don't know that Rick Beyer could write forever and I would buy every book!
(Review Data Last Updated: 2009-10-28 14:15:12 EST)
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| 02-12-09 | 5 | (NA) |
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I BOUGHT ALL THREE OF THE BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR. THEY ALL HAVE DOZENS OF SHORT, INFORMATIVE AND ENTERTAINING STORIES THAT YOU REALLY HAVE NEVER HEARD BEFORE. IT'S A WONDERFUL BOOK THAT WILL MAKE YOU WANT TO SHARE "USELESS TRIVIA" WITH EVERYONE.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2009-10-28 14:15:12 EST)
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| 09-16-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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The book was purchased as a gift for my husband, who is a military history buff. He was a little skeptical at first, but once he started reading the book, he couldn't wait to share a number of the stories with me and had a hard time puttimg the book down until he finished it.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2009-02-27 20:48:58 EST)
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| 10-07-07 | 5 | 2\2 |
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I am a social studies teacher and my jaw dropped reading these short tidbits on historical events -- this is such a great writer in easy-to-understand language. My students love it when I tell them stuff like this you'll never find in a textbook.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-01-01 09:40:36 EST)
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| 10-06-07 | 5 | 2\3 |
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This book was nice distraction. To be honest, the first time I saw it and looked at the format I thought it wouldn't be that good but actually I was pleasntly surprised. Although I was familiar with many of the stories, Beyer managed to surprise me with a few new angles on some of these bits of trivia. Better yet, he came up with several new stories I had never heard.
Great book. I look forward to more of this type. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-01-01 09:40:36 EST)
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| 08-28-07 | 5 | 2\2 |
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I usually stick with known writers like David McCullough, Walter Isaacson, and Stephen B. Oates. This time I went for a new name and I'm glad I did. I had read about the little known reason why Mr. Lincoln had ordered a raid on Libby Prison in Richmond, but it had never been so interestingly explained as Mr. Beyer does in this book. It's by far one of the best books on military history that I've read. I'll describe it as having a good sense of drama with a scholar's meticulous attention. Unlike my newest one, "Kill Me If You Can", Beyer's book is one that anyone interested in military history will enjoy. No, this is not a veiled commercial. I'll assure you that unless you're an exception, you'd hate my book. Truthfully, I'm beginning to believe my motive for writing it was to see just how many people I could alienate. Bob Miller
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-10-06 19:22:59 EST)
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| 05-22-07 | 4 | (NA) |
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This book is full of interesting little tidbits that are only a page spread long each, perfect for the coffee table or bathroom. It's great for whetting your appetite for a particular historical event, which, in my case, usually sends me to other books or online to find out more detail.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-08-29 04:28:36 EST)
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| 03-09-06 | 4 | 2\8 |
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Short and to the point.
"Slightly" biaised to the winners point of view (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-04-11 15:57:05 EST)
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| 03-08-06 | 5 | 8\9 |
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This little book might be called a bathroom reader of military trivia. Just some of the little tidbits to be learned include: America's Worst General (Commander in Chief of the Army in 1796), the American traitor who led the American Army to victory at Saratoga, the origin of the song Taps, the word Bazooka, the Battle where 32 american soldiers and more than fifty wounded and there was no enemy, the invention of G.I. Joe.
I could go on, there are a hundred tales here, but you should be able to get the idea. One thing though, like with peanuts, after you read one, you're unlikely to be able to put the book down. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-11 04:19:40 EST)
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| 03-08-06 | 4 | 2\8 |
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Short and to the point.
"Slightly" biaised to the winners point of view (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-04-10 09:02:22 EST)
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| 03-07-06 | 5 | 6\7 |
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This little book might be called a bathroom reader of military trivia. Just some of the little tidbits to be learned include: America's Worst General (Commander in Chief of the Army in 1796), the American traitor who led the American Army to victory at Saratoga, the origin of the song Taps, the word Bazooka, the Battle where 32 american soldiers and more than fifty wounded and there was no enemy, the invention of G.I. Joe.
I could go on, there are a hundred tales here, but you should be able to get the idea. One thing though, like with peanuts, after you read one, you're unlikely to be able to put the book down. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-04-10 09:02:22 EST)
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| 03-05-06 | 3 | 3\5 |
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Book gives small snippets of interesting stories of war. Some are commonly known, and others are 'different'. Wish there was more info on some of the stories though...
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-11 04:19:40 EST)
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| 03-04-06 | 3 | 1\3 |
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Book gives small snippets of interesting stories of war. Some are commonly known, and others are 'different'. Wish there was more info on some of the stories though...
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-18 21:41:50 EST)
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| 12-20-05 | 5 | 10\11 |
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When I first saw The Greatest Stories Never Told by Rick Beyer, I bought numerous copies. They made great gifts for my college nephews, cousins, father, brother-in-law, etc etc. including one I keep in my guest bedroom for visiters. It was perfect.
Now when I first heard the title of his new book, I was a bit hesitant. I am so not into military history I thought, so I only got a few copies to give away. BUT...then I started reading.. One, the book is perfect for when you only have a few minutes at a time to read a couple of pages. AND THEN these are tidbit of tales that do astonish and stupefy. I certainly might not have heard of the female Lawrence of Arabia, or that Santa Anna of the Alamo story had something to do with the invention of chewing gum. And now I need to order more copies including another one for me, as my friend took mine away when she started reading it in the car. (Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-11 04:19:40 EST)
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| 12-18-05 | 5 | 12\12 |
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I'm a fan of non-fiction, but not of military books in general. My brother "doesn't read books." But there were so many cool things Beyer's first book [The Greatest Stories Never Told] that I was sure he would love it. He did. If anything, this War Stories book is even more interesting. Even for me, there is a lot to hold my interest, and I am definitely not in the typical military history book group. The best part is that all the stories are really true, not just probably true, and the sources are in the back of the book so you can check it out.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-11 04:19:40 EST)
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| 11-05-05 | 5 | 29\29 |
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I first bought this book for my dad who is total military history buff. But I happened to start reading it myself and was completely taken in by these stories. I'm the last person you'd ever find reading a book about the history of war. But I couldn't put it down. Each story--just two pages--are utterly intriguing, juicy morsels of fascinating information. There's also a tremendous amount of humor in the book. I read it from cover to cover and then passed it on to my dad. My dad is the kind of guy who owns virtually every book ever published on the subject of military history. Because he knows so much, I thought maybe he wouldn't dig this kind of approach. Boy was I ever wrong. He couldn't stop reading his favorites out loud to me--which was essentially the entire book. Bottom line: this book is one of those few gems that is so well done and so interesting that it will appeal to high school kids, retirees, men, women, etc. I went out and bought Beyer's first book after finishing this one and it's just as wonderful. If you're looking for a gift that's educational but fabulously entertaining, you can't go wrong with these.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2006-06-18 21:41:50 EST)
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