Wars of the Americas: A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the New World, 1492 to the Present, by David F. Marley, ABC CLIO, Santa Barbara, Calif., 1998, $99.
In Wars of the Americas, Canadian historian (and Military History contributor) David F. Marley presents details on thousands of specific battles fought in the Americas–all in one 700-page book with a comprehensive bibliography and detailed index. Organized chronologically, each section of the book begins with a brief historical overview, followed by entries describing key military and political events and their significance, with maps highlighting place names and political boundaries, as well as numerous illustrations to help put the events in their geographic and historical context.
In spite of a few minor errors (such as a photograph purported to be of the 1961 Bay of Pigs assault when it is actually of the Allied landing in Normandy on June 6, 1944), War of the Americas is a valuable and useful reference on conflict in the Western Hemisphere from Columbus’ day to our time.
Blaine Taylor
