This week, we feature an intriguing murder mystery set in the heart of Rome’s artist district, along with a clever analysis of words and their origins by a veteran lexicographer.
Non-Fiction
‘A Rage to Conquer: Twelve Battles That Changed the Course of Western History’
By Michael WalshThough billed as a sequel to Walsh’s “Last Stands,” this study of 12 famous battles that changed the course of Western civilization can be read on its own. Walsh begins with that icon of strategy, Clausewitz, and then moves through crucial battles, from Alexander at Gaugamela to Napoleon at Austerlitz to Admiral Nimitz at Midway and Patton at the Battle of the Bulge. Here’s an excellent history with a warning to today’s American politicians: If you go to war, the first objective is winning.
