""Art of War in the Middle Ages"--which version???" Topic

Remember reading an old 2-volume version of this book by Sir Charkes Oman about 20 years ago and would like to purchase this set.Is there any particular version of this book that I should get???
Looking for version that is most complete (as far as info on battles,maps,OOB's etc.)Newer,older,what do ya'll suggest asbest version please?

Thanks,
Mark

You don't have too many options. The original was published in… 1885, I think. It was revised in 1953 (before I was born!), but the "modern" version is annotated to indicate the revisions. You'll find later-dated reprints, but I don't think they change or omit anything.

Having said that, Oman was certainly showing his age when I first started using him seriously in 1971. So much has been done since by other scholars, it is probably best to treat Oman as an historical document rather than anything approaching current analysis.

And you can download the original edition in electronic format here:

link

…or view it here:

link

Allen

Thank you very much for the links, I've spent the evening reading that.

Perhaps, but I will happily read his 'A history of the Art of War in the Sixteenth Century' any day of the week. Thanks for the links too, was looking forward to reading these.

Anyone have a link for that? Seems harder to come by.

Well, I didn't see this thread before I started mine today. That version of Oman is actually a first edition (1898). His second edition (1924) is much longer and in 2 volumes.

Contrary to what Allen says, Oman's approach was more about battles proving a thesis. He wasn't always right, but his over-all conclusions about most medieval infantry facing most medieval cavalry have not been shown to be incorrect.

Also, the work of contemporary "specialists" hasn't so much overthrown Oman's scholarship as raised pointed questions. E.g. the whole "stirrups made the knight possible" theory has been recently called into question (it's more a case of war saddle design), but that doesn't effectively change the fact that Oman emphasized: that "heavy cavalry" had evolved into the "queen of the battlefield", eclipsing infantry for centuries. And the reasons that Oman followed as to why the return of infantry subsequently eclipsed the use of heavy cavalry are still as viable today as when he wrote them….