War in the Shadows - The Classic History of Guerrilla Warfare from Ancient Persia to the Present (Paperback)

When Robert B. Asprey's "War in the Shadows" first appeared in two volumes in 1975, it was hailed as the definitive study of guerrilla warfare. Now, many insugencies later, the author has updated and abridged his work into one volume. Ranging from Alexander the Great's battles with the Scythians to Russian partisans fighting the Germans in World War II to Greek guerrillas in the 1940s and 1950s, this book also gives special attention to the greatest of contemporary guerrilla conflicts, the Vietnam War, offering readers a comprehensive perspective on the "war that will not end". Asprey also brings the reader up to date on the current status of guerrilla warfare. As he puts it, "Guerrilla warfare (including its kissing cousin, terrorism) has evolved into an ideal instrument in the realization of socio-political-economic aspirations of underprivileged peoples. We may be witnessing a transition to a new era in warfare". With 13 courties currently hosting guerrilla warfare and with the collapse of the USSR, this book has assumed fresh importance, vital to our understanding of the political-economic changes we face.