Besieged: Seven Cities under Siege: Madrid, 1936-1939; London, 1940-1941; Singapore, 1941-1942; Stalingrad, 1942-1943; Warsaw, 1939, 1943, 1944; Jerusalem, 1947-1949; Berlin, 1945-1949

Philadelphia and New York: Chilton Books - A Division of Chilton Company Publishers, 1966. First Edition Stated . Hard Back. Very Good/Good. 6 1/4" X 9 1/2. 323 Pages Indexed. Book shows a little wear at the bottom and top of spine area.and the front hinge is very slightly loose but holding well. Interior text pages are flawless. Dust Jacket is a bit tattered around the edges and some staining to the lower inside spine area. Dust Jacket price 6.95 is unclipped. As long as men build waIls, other men will try to pass them. From ancient Jericho and Joshua's trumpet to London and the onslaught of the Luftwaffe, men have devised cunning weapons with all the skiII at their command, to breach barriers and invade the camps and fortified places of their enemies. This book is the story of seven great modern sieges, Madrid in the Spanish Civil War, London, Warsaw, Singapore and Stalingrad in World War IJ, Berlin during the immortal Airlift, and Jerusalem under Arab attack from four sides. The author, a veteran historian, has written a fascinating story, for he not only describes in detail the actual battles involved, but clearly demonstrates the universality of sieges and siegecraft, showing that all beleaguered places have things in common and must obey certain basic laws. Although, in truth, no buIlets flew during the Berlin Airlift, it was as much a siege as that of Warsaw, where the Polish Underground fought a hopeless battle against Hitler's Wehrmacht. No German infantry ever came close to London, save as prisoners, but London was besieged by the aerial squadrons of Marshal Goering just as surely as was Stalingrad, by first the German and then the Russian ground forces. These are histories of heroism and cowardice, of careful planning and incredible blunders. Singapore's long-planned defenses only faced seaward; the land side was naked. Why helpless Jerusalem never fell to the swarming Arab hordes may well have depended on one man, unknown to the world, but the only capable Arab soldier on the spot. Killed by Israeli gunfire, his spirit vanished and all coordination disappeared. To anyone pondering the enigmas of human endeavor, this book will be a delight. Concisely and authoritatively delineated, but told in a popular vein, it will take rank with the best of modern historical writing. n