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its that time of year when Mrs undercover dons her santa suit and asks for prezzie advice.

i have read and greatly enjoyed Shattered Sword, and Eagle against the Sun by Spector, Stalingrad and Berlin by Beevor - but if you were allowed 1 military history book (not necessarily pacific) what would you recommend comes down my chimney this year?!

I've been a lurker for a long time.  I am considering trying to dive into the game again (didn't have enough time before).  There is just too much material here to grasp.  Still if you don't mind a novice poster with over 100 WWII books....

It's like asking which of the 200+ single malt scotches do you like.  It depends.

If you want an understanding of British Politics and their view of pre-WWII and how Churchill got to power, then Burying Ceasar is great.  If you prefer an indepth look at the Battle of Britan then The Hardest Day which describes the largest single day of the battle (August 18) is excellent.  Eighth Air Force by Miller is a very good account of daylight bombing in Europe (it was the basis for the movie 12 O'Clock High).  Back in the pacific, Slim Master of War is very good at describing Burma.  Bywater's The Great Pacific War or Honan's Vision of Infamy (which discusses Bywater's book and it's impact on the planning for the War in the Pacific) are excellent choices.

Again from the newbie on the board.

No question for me - The Civil War by Shelby Foote (all 3 volumes).  Just a pleasure to read in every sense. 

I would also put in The Longest Day and Winston Churchill's series on WWII.

Hmm...

1) Thucydid => "The Peloponnesian War"

or (and -- if you are nice with your wife that is)

2) Livy => "The Second Punic War"

One book only? "History of the Second World War" by Lidell-Hart I suppose would be my choice.

thanks guys - researching the mentioned titles

I thought this was fantastic. http://www.pacificalamo.com/   
 

Get Thucydides. Simple as that... It is also extremely applicable to today and far too few people have read it.  It is kind of like On War or Liddel Hart's stuff. People refer to it but have never read it and that's a pity. The difference between it and Liddell Hart's stuff is that it speaks more to the political and cultural aspects of things than Liddel Hart. I'd recommend it over On War simply because On War is written in the quasi-philosophical style common to the 19th Century and, as such, can be fairly difficult to penetrate. If you're willing to wade through that though then On War is excellent also. Thucydides is just a bit more accessible for the average reader.

I'm currently reading "Normandy" by Olivier Wieviorka.  It's kind of an overview of everything that led up to the invasion and then the campaign that liberated Paris and France.  He doesn't get down into the details of the battles, but provides a good strategic behind the scenes view, including the political and personal differences the various generals had.
 
I'm also reading "Hamburg" (don't have the book with me so don't know the author), which is a detailed exploration of the firebombing of that city in 1943.  Lots of stuff I wasn't aware of, both interesting and horrifying at the same time.

I found SLA Marshall's First World War a good read.

Nemo, Karl Marx said that Thucidyd constantly confused the causes with consequences -- or was it the other way around? [:D] Anyway, Undercovergeek (or anyone else interested for that matter) has to keep in mind that the classic authors (both Latin and Greek) inserted a lot of er, fictitious speeches (the rhetoric thing, which they truly liked). This was a common literary practice. Well, there is a notorious exception: Polibius (his works are incredibly "modern").

The book is still very interesting. And the conclusion --or morale-- might be weird... to some people [8D]

The Anglo-Saxons (basically the English) forged the "maritime power supremacy theory" thing. Obviously to prove that er, the English supremacy was "natural" and unavoidable.

But in the Peloponnesian War the maritime power (Athens & Mates) loses. The continental power (Sparta & Mates) wins.

True, Sparta (or basically her allies) ended up having a decent navy.

Tullius,
 
Well I recommend books etc less on the basis that they may have "the right" views etc and more on the basis that they might make READERS think and reach their own conclusions. I think Thucydides' value lies less in his own analysis ( such little of it as there was ) and in his accounting of "objective reality" ( I don't think one could argue he even tries for that ) but more in the addressing of issues and the provoking of one's own reflections such that you can reach your own conclusions.
 
For my money there's a lot more value in a book which makes you think about a topic and come to your own conclusions than in a book which tells you what to think about a topic. This is the true bottom line of the whole objective reality argument. Even if there was such a thing reading such books would do less for people than reading a subjective book which caused the individuals to think and not just rote learn a new set of "facts".

After 25 years, I just reread Barbara Tuchman's "Stillwell and the American Experience in China". A first rate book by one of the best historians ever. It help with my understanding of American/China relations today.

The two best non-fiction military books I've ever read:
 
1)  We were Soldiers once and Young - I've never been interested in Vietnam, but this is the finest work I've ever read.
2)  This Terrible Sound (Peter Cozzens) - The Battle of Chickamauga, U.S. Civil War, from the perspective of the regular U.S. and C.S.A. soldier. 
 
I prefer World War II history, especially the Pacific, but none of the books I've read from WWII come close to these two.

again thanks guys - ill carry on doing my research! some great suggestions by all accounts

I'd second "We were soldiers once and young".... Its a wild ride in terms of just reading about what they went through but also quite informational too.

Blackhawk Down is also good if you like that sort of book but want something more modern.

Strategic Doctrine and Military Applications Manual by Commander Stormwolf [8D]

Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam by Stephen Sears.

[font=tahoma]Not quite military history but I am currently reading [/font][font=tahoma]Josef M. Bauer[/font][font=tahoma]: As Far as my Feet will Carry Me. The story of a German POW who escapes from the Soviet GULAG lead mines at [/font][font=tahoma]Cape Dezhnev[/font][font="times new roman"][font=tahoma] (East Cape), Siberia to Iran and to Germany, in a 3 year odyssey. Fascinating story.[/font][/font][/align] [/align] [/align]

I would also like to read Winston Churchill's war diaries, everyone I spoke to said it was a good read