The mammoth book of true war stories

War, as the general said, is hell. But sometimes it also brings out the best in people, as illustrated by this gripping new collection of war writing. From the siege of Troy to the present day, historian Jon E. Lewis offers a new selection of sixty unforgettable accounts—many firsthand—of the horror and heroism of war. These include analyses by celebrated historians, letters home by ordinary GIs, high-adrenaline memoirs by frontline combatants, and memorable reportage by master chroniclers: Ernest Hemingway on bombings in Madrid, Tim O'Brien on Vietnam, John Reed on the Mexican Revolution, and Winston Churchill on the Battle of Omdurman.