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Type of bind: Paperback
Brand: Osprey Publishing Limited
Dewey Decimal Number: 938.03
EAN num: 9781841761800
ISBN number: 184176180X
Label: Osprey Publishing
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 96
Printing Date: November 20, 2007
Publishing house: Osprey Publishing
Release Date: November 20, 2007
Sale Popularity Level: 167284
Studio: Osprey Publishing
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Thermopylae 480 BC
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Rated by buyers 
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I have bought this book (and it is not my very first on the battle at Thermopylae or the Greek-Persian wars) mostly reading the reviews of other readers. Now that I have read it, I don't understand how one can rate it 4/5 stars. The book is supposed to be about the battle, yet, when after a long long introduction about commanders, tactics, etc. it comes to the battle, it just says that it is impossible to know how things have gone during it. How interesting. Then why and how do you write a book about it? More, I guess that before writing that 'most recent scholars' presume that the total number of the Persian land troops was around 80,000, the author should have read Von Clausewitz's 'On war', especially the part when it describes how man-consuming is a long march in enemy territory. But assuming that the author is right, let's see: 80,000 crossing the Hellespont, how many at Thermopylae? 75,000 to be higly optimistic. How many dead or wounded after the battle? 10,000? 15,000? Split the army in two after Salamis and the going back of Xerses, and we are so presuming that the Persians at Platea were less than their Greek enemies. Not to say that it is not clearly understandable why Xerses should have marched,instead of carrying his troops by ships, thing that could easily be managed if they really were 80,000. I do only add that the photos of the battlefield how it is yesterday are black/white, and mostly taken from so high or so far that very little can be understood. One can easily find better ones on the web.
Rated by buyers -
Great reference work, but is let down by the quality of maps and illustrations compared to other Osprey titles.
Rated by buyers 
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As Osprey Campaign series book #188, this book by Nic Fields must be among the top five best of the series. I agreed with one of the previous reviewers that this is probably the best book written on the battle at Thermopylae in 480 BC. The details given in this book surpassed most books on this subject whose pages may be considerably more but accounts on the battle considerably less.
The book followed the typical Osprey Campaign series format where the background information on the campaign, its leaders and the military forces involved were given in a good summarized account. The author spend considerable amount of time discussing the military forces here to give a clear understanding of the differences between the Greeks and the Persians. The differences also determined the tactics and strategy used by both sides during the battle. Persian fondness for long range attacks prompted the Greeks effort to close in on their enemies. One of the previous reviewers wrote that North Vietnamese forces used the same tactics during Vietnam War against American air superiority. It's well worth considering how tactics and strategy, despite of the passage of centuries, rarely change in application. The maps and illustrations proves to be quite useful as well. The three maps that showed the three days of battle I thought were very useful in determining how the battle unfolded each day.
Overall, the book proves to be well written and researched by the author who skillfully managed to write a book that clearly explained how this battle came to be, how it unfolded and why. He does all this in less then 100 page and at a level where almost anyone who can read, can understand the battle with clarity and with interest. This book can be a very useful tool to those who had a overdose of that fantasy movie that came out in March 2007 based on this battle and needs some proper education to get the facts straight. It is refreshing to mentioned that the author did not play on that popular film as part of his book. Overall, one of the best books in Osprey Campaign series and well worth the reading time.
Rated by buyers -
Nic Fields has reduced the Thermopylae battle to the shortest, most well-written and concise version that exists today. After the 2007 "movie", which introduced Thermopylae to the US and UK public, (I say introduced, as most people I spoke to, who saw the movie, were so uninformed that they were unaware it was based on a real event. SAD).Fields, to his great credit, does not bind himself to the traditional sources or re-writes as found in recent publications. He takes the material available, reduces it to a readable and entertaining story, giving a overview of what probably happened in the best fashion available. In essence, this is a stand-alone version of Leonidas' sacrifice, which should be a lesson for today. Sadly, we live in a society raised on the belief that self-sacrifice is for someone else. Fields' short book cannot be added to, because in the end, he tells us all that is known, and in splendid fashion.
Rated by buyers -
"Thermopylae 480 BC" is probably the best available introduction to this famous battle that money can buy. Like the other books in Osprey Publishing's Campaign series, the material is thoroughly researched including a background history of events leading to the Persian invasion.
Dr. Nic Fields provides this little history book with a vivid narrative while Steve Noon's illustrations help provide a feeling for being there. A copious collection of photographs and maps completes this most effective presentation.
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