This is an interesting, useful, brief book that describes 100 battles which have shaped world history, according to its author, who teaches history at Mt. Holyoke Community College in Massachusetts. The book begins with the battle of Kadesh in 1294 BC and ends with the battle of Kuwait (better known as the Gulf War) in 1991. Each battle is described in one page, with sufficient detail to understand how the battles were waged and the importance of outcomes. The book's broad sweep of battles across the ages is its primary value to persons who wonder about how events of the past have shaped modern social structures