Chris McNab, The Soldier: Discover the Personal Experience of Soldiers Throughout the History of Modern Conflict, From the Seven Years' War to the Present Day. Bath: Parragon, 2016.
Quarto, hardcover, dustwrapper, 224 pages, magnificently illustrated.
There is the tiniest tear (5mm) in the dustwrapper; the book is in other respects 'as-new'.
From the seasoned infantryman of the 1700s to the hi-tech warriors of today, this book makes an intriguing journey through 300 years of military service. Authoritative text and stunning visual content explore every aspect of the soldiers life in both war and peace, charting how he has lived, marched, fought, died and survived across the centuries, often in places far from home. Illustrated with revealing photography and specially commissioned figure and kit artworks, The Soldier is an exceptional record of what it has meant to serve in the armies of modern history.
In the 18th century, a soldiers life was almost invariably brutal and basic, in garrison and on the battlefield. Over the next 300 years, however, the practice of soldiering was progressively transformed, partly by technology, but also by a greater understanding of how to train, and deploy manpower.
Throughout this history, the individual soldier's life has been governed by the answers to key questions such as: How is he recruited and trained? What will he eat? How fast and far can he travel in a day? What uniform will he wear? How will he be armed? What will he do in his off-duty hours? Where will he,sleep and shelter? What happens when he is wounded? The answers to these and numerous other questions reveal continuity and change across the centuries. Some aspects of serving in any army are timelesssoldiers throughout history have faced the universal challenges of barracks boredom, homesickness and battlefield terror. Yet at the same time, the evolution of technology has progressively given the more modern soldier levels of communications, firepower, comfort and survivability beyond the dreams of a trooper in, say, the American Revolution or Napoleonic Wars.
Through its well-researched text, illuminating fine art paintings, photographs and detailed illustrations, and thematic features, The Soldier reveals the hidden life of soldiers in poignant and sometimes unsparing detail. What it often exposes is how the ingenuity and resilience of individual soldiers enables them to cope with the most unforgiving of professions and harrowing of circumstances.
