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The Mask of Command
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The Mask of Command Paperback - 1988

by John Keegan

In this incisive analysis of generals, John Keegan examines the meaning of heroism as represented by Alexander the Great, Wellington, Grant, and Hitler, and argues that generalship, like warfare itself, is a cultural activity that has, through the years, required a change in the very nature of leadership. 16 pages of photos.


Summary

John Keegan’s brilliant look at the meaning of leadership

In The Mask of Command, John Keegan asks us to consider questions that are seldom asked: What is the definition of leadership? What makes a great military leader? Why is it that men, indeed sometimes entire nations, follow a single leader, often to victory, but with equal dedication also to defeat?

Dozens of names come to mind...Napoleon, Lee, Charlemagne, Hannibal, Castro, Hussein. From a wide array, Keegan chooses four commanders who profoundly influenced the course of history: Alexander the Great, the Duke of Wellington, Ulysses S. Grant and Adolph Hitler. All powerful leaders, each cast in a different mold, each with diverse results.

“The best military historian of our generation.” –Tom Clancy
 
“A brilliant treatise on the essence of military leadership.” –The Philadelphia Inquirer
 
“Fascinating and enlightening… marked by great intellectual liveliness… Mr. Keegan knows how to bring fighting alive on the page.” –The New York Times






From the publisher

John Keegan's brilliant look at the meaning of leadership

In The Mask of Command, John Keegan asks us to consider questions that are seldom asked: What is the definition of leadership? What makes a great military leader? Why is it that men, indeed sometimes entire nations, follow a single leader, often to victory, but with equal dedication also to defeat? Dozens of names come to mind...Napoleon, Lee, Charlemagne, Hannibal, Castro, Hussein. From a wide array, Keegan chooses four commanders who profoundly influenced the course of history: Alexander the Great, the Duke of Wellington, Ulysses S. Grant and Adolph Hitler. All powerful leaders, each cast in a different mold, each with diverse results. The Mask of Command is a companion volume to John Keegan's classic study of the individual soldier, The Face of Battle together they form a masterpiece of military and human history.


Details

  • Title The Mask of Command
  • Author John Keegan
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition reprint
  • Pages 368
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Books, New York
  • Date 1988-10-04
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9780140114065 / 0140114068
  • Weight 0.65 lbs (0.29 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.9 in (19.56 x 12.95 x 2.29 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Library of Congress subjects Command of troops - History
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 88005429
  • Dewey Decimal Code 355.330

Media reviews

Citations

  • Publishers Weekly, 08/19/1988, Page 0

About the author

Sir John Desmond Patrick Keegan (1934-2012), was one of the most distinguished contemporary military historians and was for many years the senior lecturer at Sandhurst (the British Royal Military Academy) and the defense editor of the Daily Telegraph (London). Keegan was the author of numerous books including The Face of Battle, The Mask of Command, The Price of Admiralty, Six Armies in Normandy, and The Second World War, and was a fellow at the Royal Society of Literature.

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The Mask of Command : Alexander the Great, Wellington, Ulysses S. Grant, Hitler, and the Nature...

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