Book Reviews

The Greenhill Dictionary of Military Quotations,
edited by Peter G. Tsouras. Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, 2004. ISBN 1-85367-586-5. 576 pp.; 8”x10”; unillustrated; paperbound. $24.95.

“Aim for their shoelaces”
Oliver Cromwell

“I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

These and some 6,000 other gems of martially relevant wisdom can be found in this latest release from Stackpole Books. An expanded version of the editor’s earlier work Warrior’s Words (London, 1992), this volume is packed with about 500 alphabetically arranged topical categories ranging from “Ability” to “Last Words,” to “Youth.”

Unlike many other compendia of military speech, each entry gives its source, making verification of content quite easy. The texts consulted include fiction like The Iliad, historical works like The Patton Papers, and cover periods from antiquity to the present (the current War Against Terrorism). The speakers include Joan of Arc, von Clausewitz, Napoleon, General Norman Schwarzkopf and Baron von Steuben. Slightly erroneous modern versions of quotations are clarified. “Put your trust in God my boys, and keep your powder dry,” becomes the more correct “Put your trust in God, but be sure to see that your powder is dry.” Perhaps not so memorable a sound-bite, but historically correct.

To assist the reader in finding a particular quote, or searching for just the right one by topic, there are indices of contributors, famous quotes, famous individuals, biographies, and battles and campaigns. A select bibliography rounds out the package