Firepower

How Weapons Shaped Warfare

By: Paul Lockhart

Narrated by: Brian Nishii

The “fascinating” (Wall Street Journal) story of how military technology has transformed the world

The history of warfare cannot be fully understood without considering the technology of killing. In Firepower, acclaimed historian Paul Lockhart tells the story of the evolution of weaponry and how it transformed not only the conduct of warfare but also the very structure of power in the West, from the Renaissance to the dawn of the atomic era.

Across this period, improvements in firepower shaped the evolving art of war. For centuries, weaponry had remained simple enough that any state could equip a respectable army. That all changed around 1870, when the cost of investing in increasingly complicated technology soon meant that only a handful of great powers could afford to manufacture advanced weaponry, while other countries fell behind. Going beyond the battlefield, Firepower ultimately reveals how changes in weapons technology reshaped human history.

Critic reviews

“Do new weapons create novel tactics and strategy or simply enhance unchanging doctrines? Paul Lockhart’s exhaustive study of the origins, role, and evolution of gunpowder weapons answers that neither war nor the world itself has ever been the same after the introduction of guns. His tour of the spread of gunpowder weaponry from the fifteenth century to the present is itself a tour de force of facts, analysis, and engaging prose. A riveting history of how five hundred years of gunpowder have changed the way hundreds of millions have lived—and died.”—Victor Davis Hanson, author of The Second World Wars

“Firepower makes the essential connection between technology and power, from the pike and the arquebus to the dreadnought, tanks, modern artillery, and airpower. The book's great strength is the author's ability to explain even the most complex technologies in simple, graspable terms—before tying them to the evolution of warfare and the global struggle for mastery.”—Geoffrey Wawro, author of Sons of Freedom, A Mad Catastrophe, and The Franco-Prussian War

"Firepower is a fascinating, rip-roaring ride through the development of modern weapons technology and its impact upon war. Lockhart carefully dispels decades of myths and shows why we need to understand how firearms and war machines, from muskets and machine-guns to battleships and bombs, actually worked."—Nick Lloyd, King's College London

Excellent.

The narration is excellent. The details are astounding and it's explained very very well, and covers the history of warfare, the major revolutions and what made them different. I thoroughly enjoyed the section on early modern Warfare.

Very cool

Really liked the performance and the content of the audiobook. Strong recommendation for enthusiasts to listen to.

I love this book. Buying a hard back for my collection.

If you are a student of war and are also fascinated by things. If you enjoy technology. If you enjoy weaponry or gun… get this book. It was so enjoyable. It can be tough to take something inanimate and technical and make it into an interesting story. Yet Lockhart did a MASTERFUL job telling the story of weapons (gunpowder firearms). I also though he did a great job of bringing to light obscure but ultimately import small aspects of forgotten battle and over looked inventors that influenced weapons development. He also manages to put into context how weapons influence state and economic development but also how state and economic Devlopment impact weapons development. Basically he flushed out arms races and why they are import and how they changed the balance of power across the face of the earth. I really could just go on and on, I usually don’t get excited to leave a review, but this book was FANTASTIC. If you are interested in military stuff or gunpowder firearms you will enjoy this book.

technical and specialized

The narrator was wonderful with technical terms from other languages but significantly challenged by reasonable English words such as antecedent and Reformation. It was distracting.
I enjoyed the theme but zoned out during the evolution of the rifle. I learned about training. Tank operation improved when soldiers had played with toy tanks as children.

Excellent Book

This was one of my favorite books this year. If you fall into the camp of military history enthusiast this is a solid recommend! I learned a lot about the evolution of various weapons platforms. I enjoyed the back and forth of fleeting technological advantage, which always seems to be temporary.