Timothy Newark

A great read, which gives you an overview of the barbarians that attacked Europe from Roman times to the Magyars of the 10th Century. It only covers the Mongols very lightly, including them as one of the many Steppe horse warrior cultures. The colour plates are also first rate.

A fairly good profile on the infamous Lucky Luciano. Quite a bit of detail is offered on the what and how behind this man who really was so instrumental in building what we know as the Mafia. Of course a lot of what we have been fed is probably myth, primarily from movies and second hand accounts.

Newark seems to get down more to the reality of what was. Despite Luciano notoriety much of his later life is exposed as being fairly insignificant in the running of the mob. Meyer Lansky really show more seemed to have more control from behind the scenes. And that Luciano was his best friend it is primarily what sustained him. He was also lucky as his name to have lived out his years without being hit. A good read on the reality of what this organization was about and the men involved. show less

A brief introduction to camouflage. This book touches on some general history of camo as well as camouflage from different regions around the world. Might have been easier to focus on one region or timeframe so the flow of the writing doesn't feel jumpy. The work does incorporate plenty of pictures and illustrations. Overall, an interesting read.

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I wish I had had this book when we were homeschooling and reading about the Trojan War and Thermopylae, but it's equally helpful in reading about the 19th-century British Navy. Excellent illustrations and plenty of them.