John Keegan

JOHN KEEGAN

Date of Birth: May 15, 1934
Birthplace: London, England
Current Residence: Kilmington, Wiltshire, England
Education: Balliol College, Oxford University, M.A.
Profession: Military historian, lecturer, Journalist.

The leader of men in warfare can show himself to his followers only through a mask, a mask that he must make for himself, but a mask made in such form as will mark him to men of his time and place as the leader they want and need.
-John Keegan, The Mask of Command

Medieval soldiers not only saw their opponents at very close hand...but fought them face to face. The rhythm of the fighting and its duration were in consequence dictated by human limitations: a man gained ground on his opponent, scored a hit, felt his sword arm tire, knew that he must win in the next five minutes or be done for...And because the power of weapons was not very much greater than the muscle power of those who wielded them, the wounds inflicted were little different from the wounds of everyday life, those suffered in the field or workshop, to be judged at a glance trifling, disabling, or fatal.
-John Keegan, The Face of Battle

Keegan writes about war better than almost anyone in our century
-Reid Beddow, Washington Post Book World