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Stupid Wars: A Citizen's Guide to Botched Putsches, Failed Coups, Inane Invasions, and Ridiculous Revolutions | 
| Authors: Ed Strosser, Michael Prince
Publisher: Collins
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $6.00
You Save: $8.95 (60%)
New (34) Used (17) from $5.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 302755
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.4 x 0.9
ISBN: 0061258474
Dewey Decimal Number: 355.02
EAN: 9780061258473
ASIN: 0061258474
Publication Date: May 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New, no marks of any kind
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Product Description
When winners write history, they sometimes "forget" to include their own embarrassing misjudgments. Fortunately, this take-no-prisoners edition of history isn't going to let the winners (or the losers) forget the mistakes of the past. Be prepared to laugh out loud—and gasp in horror—at the most painfully idiotic strategies, alliances, and decisions the world has ever known. These stupid wars have been launched by democracies as well as monarchies and dictatorships, in recent decades just as often as in less "enlightened" times. The ridiculous and reckless conflicts chronicled in Stupid Wars include the misdirected Fourth Crusade, the half-baked invasion of Russia by the U.S., the U.K.'s baffling Falklands War, Hitler's ill-fated Beer Hall Putsch, several incredibly foolish South American conflicts, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and many more. Whether you're a future dictator, war-mongering politician, royal mistress, or history lover, these blow-by-stupid-blow accounts will teach you the valuable lessons you need to stay off the list, including: - Don't declare war on all your neighbors at the same time.
- Working radios, accurate maps, and weather-appropriate uniforms are big plusses.
- Large amounts of bird poop and very small islands are probably not worth dying for.
- Never invade Russia.
- Seriously. It's a really bad idea.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
 Deeply disappointing September 15, 2008
I bought this book because it sounded like an excellent premise and had received several outstanding customer reviews. However, this book is extremely poorly written and edited. The attempts at humor are pathetic. And, worst of all, the "history" this book presents as authoritative is actually riddled with flaws. I love history and humor, but cannot recommend this book to anyone.
 Very funny and interesting July 14, 2008
As described, this is really a funny and well-written book. It is also fascinating as far as history is concerned, giving far more information than one would ever get in textbooks about some of the more obscure engagements covered here.
This just bears out my long held contention that history does not have to be boring. The trouble is that most history textbooks are written by historians or pedagogues, whereas they should only be allowed to be written by seasoned authors. Preferably by those with a sense of humor.
Just compare a good historical novel with any textbook, and you will see what I mean.
This book is a lot of fun to read and you'll improve your knowledge painlessly.
 Stupid wars but great book July 5, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Who thought history and learning could be so humorous! While I was reading it on the subway, I was amazed by how many other riders inquired about it. I would definitely recommend it to my friends.
Quite entertaining May 25, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
while being quite entertaining this book does not even scratch the surface of the events taking place. while wars maybe stupid the lives lost and people injured by those war are in no way unimportant. also i believe there were moments when the authors' could be considered insulting to the actors involved in the event, perhaps due to their misunderstanding of the event taking place. none the less the book was quite entertaining and its a must read for those who can take things with a grain of salt and not take every word written on a page as the absolute truth. this a parody and nothing more, and must be treated as such by the readers.
Simple but brilliant premise May 21, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
The premise of "Stupid Wars" is simple, but brilliant: For ages, scribes, historians and military leaders have documented glorious successes on the battlefield. Yet what of the unmitigated disasters? What of the coups that were attempted by the likes of the Three Stooges? What of the wars that were fought for no apparent reason? Now we know.
"Stupid Wars" presents battlefield idiocy in a highly readable form: each chapter covers military and political blundering of the highest order for a particular event. So in what is an average of about 20 pages per chapter, the reader learns of all of the "masterful planning" that went into events such as the doomed-from-the-start Bay of Pigs invasion or the mustering of troops to put down the Whiskey Rebellion that really never was.
In what is an educational and humorous romp through history, we learn of such folly: how the Russian army, which seemingly should have been prepared to fight a cold-weather war, invaded Finland in 1939 without a clue as to how to battle the Finns in the winter. We learn how Romania managed to alienate virtually every major and minor power on both sides during WW II.
The authors tell these stories with an eye on history and a smile on their faces. They point out the absurd, the ridiculous and the shear folly of many of history's biggest blunders. I, for one, never knew that the armies of the Fourth Crusade never actually made it to the Holy Land for lack of transportation. Certainly, someone should have realized that they needed ships to get them there.
In the end, it's a great premise and a great read. The reader is entertained yet learning about history too - a great combination.
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