Hubris
The Tragedy of War in the Twentieth Century

This is presumably Alistair Horne's last work, and it's a solid end to a life of journalism and research in military affairs. Horne, as always, is an engaging writer and grand storyteller. The book is an odd sort of project, though. It's really just 6 battles/wars that he had never written much abou......more

3.5 Stars. This is the second book by Alistair Horne that I have read, the first being the Price of Glory. I found the earlier parts of this book, the areas related to the Russo-Japanese war and the battle of Khalkin Gol to be most informative. Once the author got into the Korean War and then The Fre......more

I got this book for $6, and at that price point I'd probably rate this higher - but as a book, I wasn't that fussed. Hubris covers six conflicts, three in detail and three very briefly. The first is Tsushima, the Japanese defeat of Russia in a large naval battle in the Tsushima Strait, a battle I'd......more

Fascinating and with the touch of a master storyteller's hand, if there's one history I will recommend this Christmas season, it will be Alistair Horne's Hubris: the Tragedy of War in the Twentieth Century. Interesting and accessible, Horne's approach is a narrative that doesn't merely tell a story,......more

So, the author clearly knows his stuff - the book seems factual and well-informed. I was bothered throughout, though, because there are absolutely no citations. Some, but not all, of the many direct quotes that he uses are attributed, but never directly cited, and he includes a Select Bibliography a......more