by Edgar O'Ballance

This 6 1/2" x 9 1/2", 370-page, hardbound book is a history of the 1973 Yom Kippur War published by Presidio Press, P.O. Box 3515, San Rafael CA 94902. The author, veteran of the British Army (1935-48), journalist, defense commentator, has lectured at staff colleges in the United Kingdom, Egypt, Israel and France. He has written an unbiased, quite detailed and imminently readable, blow-by-blow account of the struggle-land, sea and air. He also provides a most interesting and valuable final chapter in which he evaluates the lessons to be learned-the foremost being "that surprise can still be achieved in modern times, despite sophisticated means of obtaining intelligence, and remains perhaps the most valuable principle of war . . ." Numerous maps and photographs illustrate the text. While the $14.95 price seems a bit steep for a book of only average dimensions, I have no doubt it must be the best all-around history of the 1973 conflict available.

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