"A refreshingly detached view of received opinions, ancient or modern. This is not a military or political history but a shrewd and very detailed inspection of what happened and how and why it happened. The picture is coherent and, to a nonspecialist, convincing; the specialist will carp here and there but it is unlikely to shake the main argument. . . . a rare achievement."—New York Times

"He has done a magnificent job of reassessment, that will, when assimilated substantially modify our estimate of that faithful period."—Times Literary Supplement

"A mine of provocative and stimulating insights of matters large and small."—Annals