A book reviewer can approach a non-fiction book from any number of angles: the author’s experience in his subject, the
appeal and clarity the language, the relevance of the topic, etc. When I first picked up this little book, my first thought was that a review was impossible, because none of the ordinary standards apply. It is, essentially, a book of lists. One hundred and sixty one pages of loosely related, relatively unorganized lists of war-related data. No theme, little format, and really no composition. But I began reading it just for my own curiosity and found that I couldn’t stop. That, I figured, made it worth some kind of review, however impossible it seemed at the time.
It is essential reading, as the title proclaims, for the military buff. The kind of book you might buy for your father as a Christmas present since you gave him a tie last year. Also the kind of book you’ll be tempted to dip into before you wrap it up. You don’t have to be a history enthusiast to be intrigued and beguiled by it.
The lists and charts are not meant to be exhaustive. Many of them give brief, tantalizing summaries that invite further research. For example, I learned that the most highly decorated Native Canadian in World War II was Francis Pegahmagabow, who was responsible for capturing 300 enemy soldiers. But how did he do it? What is the story behind the statement? That you will have to find somewhere else. Mr. Hobbes, described on the dust jacket only as “a military historian,” is just interested in presenting the bare facts.
The range of subjects is remarkable. The book begins with no preface, preamble, or explanation. It simply jumps into the first list, “Poor Reasons for War” (The War of Jenkins’ Ear and The Soccer War, for two examples). Other lists fall into various categories. They are intriguing (“The Eight Wounds Sustained by Alexander the Great”), humorous (“Failed Technologies”), horrific (Ten of the Bloodiest Battles), tragic (Countries Using Child Soldiers), outrageous (Special Forces Disasters), heroic (Impossible Odds), and ridiculous (Bad Predictions).
Possibly one of the most fascinating entries is a list of attempts on the life of Fidel Castro planned by US agencies, including “persuading him to write with a poisonous fountain pen,” “giving him a scuba-diving outfit infected with tuberculosis,” and “contaminating his favorite brand of cigars with the untraceable botulinum toxin.
Such a delectable feast for the trivia addict lacks, regrettably, several essentials for works of non fiction. For whatever reason, the author chose not to list his credentials or his complete list of sources, a poor choice given that the strength of a book like this rests on its authenticity. The reader is asked to accept a lot of facts on faith, and my faith was not strengthened by remembering that I had read different accounts of some of the stories alluded to. He also neglected to include an index, which makes it difficult to find that fascinating bit of trivia that you are just burning to share with the fist person who enters the room.
With this in mind, Essential Militaria makes a dubious source for serious research. But it may well be the first history book you’ve read in a long time just for the fun of it.