Commanders

February 1, 2011

Gr 9 Up-Thirty-five hundred years of military leadership are covered in this attractive, concise presentation. The text opens with a detailed table of contents covering five major eras, divided by empires, conflicts, and/or type of warrior or soldier. Each era is introduced and followed by individual entries: Ramesses II is the first entry in the volume and Osama Bin Laden is the last. Biographical profiles begin with the subject's name in a tinted bar followed by his or her title, birth and death dates, key conflicts, and key battles. Many entries contain an image of the person and possibly a sidebar, a time line, and a battle map. The book is visually arresting. Each page has a decorative trim and often a highlighted pull quote, and is profusely illustrated with a variety of captioned, quality color and black-and-white photos of sculpture, statuary, paintings, artifacts, and battle scenes or sites. There are some full- and double-page illustrations as well. A selection of fonts is used effectively throughout the volume. The index is extensive. Send students to this book for basic introductions to or quick facts on an era or individual. The resource will also be enjoyed by military and ancient-history buffs.-Eldon Younce, Anthony Public Library, KS

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