Mercenaries: A Guide to Private Armies and Private Military Companies

Alan Axelrod has written many works of military history, including The Real History of the Vietnam War (2012), The Real History of the Civil War (2013), A Savage Empire: Trappers, Traders, Tribes, and the Wars That Made America (2011), Selling the Great War: The Making of American Propaganda (2009), The Real History of the Cold War (2009), Patton's Drive: The Making of America's Greatest General (2009), Blooding at Great Meadows: Young George Washington and the Battle That Shaped the Man (2007), The Horrid Pit: The Battle of the Crater, the Civil War's Cruelest Mission (2007), Miracle at Belleau Wood: The Birth of the Modern U.S. Marine Corps (2007), Bradley: A Biography (2006), and Patton: A Biography (2006). Among his reference books are Political History of America's Wars (2007), Encyclopedia of Wars (2005), Encyclopedia of the United States Armed Forces (2005), American Treaties and Alliances (2000), and The Macmillan Dictionary of Military Biography (1998). A former college professor and consultant to numerous museums and cultural institutions, Axelrod has been a featured speaker at the Conference on Excellence in Government (Washington, D.C.), the Leadership Institute of Columbia College (Columbia, South Carolina), and the Annual Conference of the Goizueta School of Business, Emory University (Atlanta, Georgia). He has been a creative consultant (and on-camera personality) for The Wild West television documentary series (Warner Bros., 1993), Civil War Journal (A&E Network, 1994), and The Discovery Channel, and he has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, CNNfn, CNBC, Fox Network affiliates in Philadelphia and Atlanta, and numerous radio news and talk programs, including on National Public Radio. Axelrod lives with his wife, Anita, an artist, in Atlanta and in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina.

"Prolific author Axelrod offers a general survey of mercenary companies active throughout history as well as those active today. ... Each chapter deals with a separate company. In addition to providing a historical survey of the company, the author includes services offered and known conflicts in which the company has been involved. Occasional sidebars highlight additional, less well-known information. This third part constitutes a distinctive and valuable survey, bringing considerable material together in one place. Though the book cites a limited number of references, it does have an extensive bibliography. This volume is a useful starting point for those interested in researching mercenary companies. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-level undergraduates; general readers." -- W. J. Rafter * CHOICE *