The Cambridge Illustrated Atlas of Warfare: Renaissance to Revolution, 1492-1792.

Jeremy Black has written an excellent reference work that covers warfare from the Renaissance (at least from 1492) to 1792. His scope is worldwide, including sections on China, Japan, India, Africa, and the New World. As would be expected, Black concentrates heavily on Europe, especially Great Britain, and points out that naval power was "the most impressive feature of European military capability" compared to the rest of the world in 1492, and that this dominance was even more pronounced in 1792 (164). Black contends that it was European "weaponry and technology that enabled them [the British] to transcend their position as a minority of the world's population . . . and to dispatch armies all over the globe" (165).

Black's atlas is a beautiful work to behold. There are 107 maps and battle plans. A few of these are historic but most are modern renditions; all but a handful are in color. In addition, sixty-five illustrations grace the well-written text. There are forty-five boxed essays that deal with specific battles, individuals, tactics, weapons, and other military matters. With the exception of five world-view Mollweide equal-area oval projection maps, all the modern maps have a scale that is expressed in miles and kilometers, or sometimes yards and meters. The maps and battle plans are well executed, easy to follow, and not cluttered or confusing. Black does not pack too much information on any one map; his symbols are clear and the colors well-defined. The atlas and maps look like how an atlas and maps ought to look but often do not.

The atlas is divided into six parts with a preface, introduction, and conclusion. These are followed by further reading (166-67), a chronology that is divided into three sections: "Europe," "The Americas," and "Rest of the World' (168-77), an index (178-91), and picture acknowledgments. Although the entire atlas is fascinating and enlightening, readers of RQ wall be attracted most to part one, "Warfare in the Wider World, 1490-1700" (8-45) and part two, "Warfare in Europe, 1490-1600" (46-63). Part one has two sections on world military power and also covers the woad from the Americas to East Asia. Part two has sections on warfare in Renaissance Italy, the Franco-Habsburg Wars, Anglo-Celtic warfare, religious wars, the struggle for the Baltic, and naval warfare. The text is concise and accurate throughout the volume, and the nonmilitary expert will find it a useful reference work. Military historians would do well to add this superb atlas to their collection. Black has published numerous works, especially on military history, and is much concerned with how historical atlases are compiled. Thus it is not surprising to find his work an excellent example of what the genre can accomplish.

RAND BURNETTE MacMurray College