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The Mask of Command

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

  • Format
  • paperback
  • Pages
  • 400
  • Language
  • english
  • ISBN
  • 978-0-14-011406-5
  • EAN
  • 9780140114065
  • Characters
  • Alexander the Great, Ulysses S. Grant, Adolf Hitler, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
  • Genres
  • history, leadership, war, biography, psychology
  • Release date
  • 1988