Alfred S. Bradford's Books

Leonidas and the Kings of Sparta

Mightiest Warriors, Fairest Kingdom

By: Alfred S. Bradford

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Leonidas and the Kings of Sparta

Mightiest Warriors, Fairest Kingdom

By: Alfred S. Bradford

This pivotal history of the kings of Sparta not only describes their critical leadership in war, but also documents the waxing and waning of their social, political, and religious powers in the Spartan state. The Spartans have seemingly never gone out of interest, serving as mythic icons who exemplify fearlessness and an unwillingness to give in against impossible odds. Yet most are unaware of the true nature of the Spartan leaders—the fact that the kings maintained their position of power for 600 years by their willingness to compromise, even if it meant giving up some of their power, for example. Organized in a logical and chronological order, Leonidas and the Kings of Sparta: Mightiest Warriors, Fairest Kingdom describes the legendary origins of the dual kingship in Sparta, documents the many reigning eras of the kings, and then concludes with the time when the kingship was abolished six centuries later. The book examines the kings' roles in war and battle, in religion, in the social life of the city, and in formulating Spartan policy both at home and abroad. No other book on Sparta has concentrated on describing the role of the kings—and their absolutely essential contributions to Spartan society in general.

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Page Count

398

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published Date

ISBN 13

9798216110507

The Blood-Drenched Sea

Ships at War in the Ancient Mediterranean

By: Alfred S. Bradford

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The Blood-Drenched Sea

Ships at War in the Ancient Mediterranean

By: Alfred S. Bradford

This book is an indispensable resource for readers who want to know the whole, comprehensive story of ancient naval warfare. The Blood-Drenched Sea describes all the naval battles and wars fought in the ancient Mediterranean. In one volume are the ships, crews, and leaders who determined the course of ancient history, along with the wars and battles, told through artifacts, extant literary and visual sources, and modern reconstructions—the Egyptian mortuary temple, the Minoan domain, the legendary sack of Troy, the expansion of Greeks throughout the Mediterranean, the Athenian victory over the Persians at Salamis, and the Athenian empire, ruined by one moment of superstition. Then the Romans learned how to build ships, man them, row in tiers, and command fleets, and the volume recounts their contributions to history as well. They fought three wars with Carthage that cost them hundreds of thousands of casualties and expenditures of vast wealth, and they conquered the whole of the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, Julius Caesar expanded the empire with the conquest of Gaul and the invasion of Britain, and his adoptive son, Octavian settled the question of who would rule the new empire by winning the naval battle at Actium.

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299

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published Date

ISBN 13

9798216054832

War

Antiquity and Its Legacy

By: Alfred S Bradford

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War

Antiquity and Its Legacy

By: Alfred S Bradford

Over 2600 years ago the Parian poet Archilochus wrote "we chased seven and killed them.. the thousand of us." In all parts of the world, and in all civilizations, the history of warfare, as well as the ironic humour of those who fight and die, can be traced back to the earliest records. But the vocabulary of modern warfare - army, military, strategy, tactics - derives from Greek and Latin, while metaphors of conflict similarly evoke ancient times. Such expressions and phrases as "Live by the sword and die by the sword", "Pyrrhic victory", and "arms and the man" are commonplace, and all come from the classical age. Wilfred Owen, famous soldier of the Great War, could write the bitter line "the old lie: Dulce et decorum est/pro patria mori" while expecting his readers to understand both Latin and allusion. Combining astute analysis of the logistics of conflict with the ethics of war, and drawing on a diverse range of cultural texts (from the Iliad to Hugo Grotius and von Clausewitz), Alfred S Bradford draws fascinating parallels between warfare and battle in ancient and modern societies. He shows that despite huge differences in weaponry and firepower, the basic principles of warfare have remained unchanged over thousands of years. War in the modern age is persistently illuminated by antiquity.

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Page Count

193

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

0857725068

ISBN 13

9780857725066

With Arrow, Sword, and Spear

A History of Warfare in the Ancient World

By: Alfred S. Bradford

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With Arrow, Sword, and Spear

A History of Warfare in the Ancient World

By: Alfred S. Bradford

Most studies of ancient warfare focus only on the Greeks and the Romans, but this sweeping study covers the whole of the ancient world from Greece and Rome to the Near East, then eastward to Parthia, India, and China. Bradford transports the reader into the midst of ancient battles behind such great leaders as Thutmose III, Ashurbanipal, Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, and the First Emperor of China. He details the rise and fall of empires, the role of leadership, and the development of tactics and strategy. One sees the clash of peoples: nomads against agricultural societies, infantry against cavalry, as well as the greatest technological change in history—the combination of the composite bow and the chariot. This readable account analyzes ancient armies in terms of modern military doctrine, allowing the reader to make comparisons between the combatants. Recruitment, for example, varied tremendously with Romans drawing from a limited pool of recruits for service terms of twenty to thirty years and Chinese planners preferring a large pool with short-term service. While various types of governments prepared for and waged war in significantly different ways, Bradford finds that better organization led to success on the battlefield and that, for the most part, societal innovation was more important than technological innovation. The ongoing discussion of the lessons of ancient warfare around the globe will provide valuable insights for interested general readers and military professionals alike.

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Page Count

334

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0313095159

ISBN 13

9780313095153

Flying the Black Flag

A Brief History of Piracy

By: Alfred S. Bradford

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Flying the Black Flag

A Brief History of Piracy

By: Alfred S. Bradford

Many peoples throughout history have fought pirates, writes Alfred Bradford in Flying the Black Flag. Some have lost and some have won. We should learn from their experience. From Odysseus—the original pirate of literature and lore—through Blackbeard and the feared pirates of the Spanish Main, his book reveals the strategies and methods pirates used to cheat, lie, kill, and rob their way into the historical record, wreaking terror in their bloody wakes. The story begins with a discussion of Piracy and the Suppression of Piracy in the Ancient World. It details, for example, how the Illyrians used pirate vessels to try to wrest control of the Adriatic Coast from the mighty Romans, as well as how the intrepid Vikings went from pirate raids to the conquest of parts of Western Europe. Moving into the 17th century and to the New World, Bradford depicts the golden age of the pirates. Here are the Spanish Buccaneers and the fabled Caribbean stronghold of Tortuga. Here are Henry Morgan, Captain Kidd, and their fearsome counterparts. But piracy was hardly just a Western phenomenon. The Barbary Pirates looks East to examine the struggle between Christian and Muslim in the Mediterranean, while To the Shores of Tripoli details the American conflict with the Barbary Pirates. It reveals the lessons of a war conducted across a great distance against a nebulous enemy, a war in which victory was achieved only by going after the pirates' sponsor. On the South China Coast, we meet the first Dragon Lady, leader of Chinese pirates. As intriguing as these tales of the past are in and of themselves, the stories and their swashbuckling villains hold lessons for us even today. In Conclusions and Reflections, Bradford gathers all of the chords together, discussing the conditions under which piracy arises, the conditions under which pirates organize and become more powerful, and the methods used to suppress piracy. Finally, he examines similarities between pirates and terrorists—and whether the lessons learned from the wars against pirates of the past might also apply to modern day terrorists.

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Page Count

225

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0275996859

ISBN 13

9780275996857

Flying the Black Flag

A Brief History of Piracy

By: Alfred S. Bradford

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Flying the Black Flag

A Brief History of Piracy

By: Alfred S. Bradford

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225

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0275996859

ISBN 13

9780275996857

War

By: Phiroze Vasunia

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War

By: Phiroze Vasunia

Over 2,600 years ago the Parian poet Archilochus wrote 'we chased seven and killed them...the thousand of us.' In all parts of the world, and in all civilisations, the history of warfare, as well as the ironic humour of those who fight and die, can be traced back to the earliest records. But the vocabulary of modern warfare-army, military, strategy, tactics-derives from Greek and Latin, while metaphors of conflict similarly evoke ancient times. Such expressions and phrases as 'Live by the sword and die by the sword, ' 'Phyrrhic victory, ' and 'arms and the man' are commonplace, and all come from the classical age. Wilfred Owen, famous soldier of the Great War, could write the bitter line 'The old lie: Dulce et decorum est/Pro patria mori' while expecting his readers to understand both Latin and allusion. Combining astute analysis of the logistics of conflict with the ethics of war, and drawing on a diverse range of cultural texts (from the Iliad to Hugo Grotius and von Clausewitz), Alfred S. Bradford draws fascinating parallels between warfare and battle in ancient and modern societies. He shows that despite huge differences in weaponry and firepower, the basic principles of warfare have remained unchanged over thousands of years. War in the modern age is persistently illuminated by antiquity.

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Page Count

224

Publisher

Oxford University Press, USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0195380908

ISBN 13

9780195380903

With Arrow, Sword, and Spear

A History of Warfare in the Ancient World

By: Alfred S. Bradford

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With Arrow, Sword, and Spear

A History of Warfare in the Ancient World

By: Alfred S. Bradford

Most studies of ancient warfare limit their focus to the Greeks and the Romans. With Arrow, Sword, and Spear covers the whole of the ancient world from Greece and Rome to the empires of the Near East (e.g., Assyrian, Persian), then further east to Parthia, India, and China. Author Alfred S. Bradford drops his readers right into the midst of battle, behind such great leaders as Thutmose III, Ashurbanipal, Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Julius Caesar, and the first emperor of China. - Publisher.

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312

Published Date

ISBN 10

0760792577

ISBN 13

9780760792575

Book's by Alfred S. Bradford

Leonidas and the Kings of Sparta

Leonidas and the Kings of Sparta

The Blood-Drenched Sea

The Blood-Drenched Sea

War

War

With Arrow, Sword, and Spear

With Arrow, Sword, and Spear

Flying the Black Flag

Flying the Black Flag

Flying the Black Flag

Flying the Black Flag

War

War

With Arrow, Sword, and Spear

With Arrow, Sword, and Spear

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