By Col. William D. Bushnell, USMC (Ret)

From the (very) early days of sail to World War I history and World War II heroism – plus some survival and leadership skills applicable to the present day – these vintage books will make great additions to your spring reading list.

You can purchase the books at the links in the titles below – note that some links may point to updated versions/reprints. None of this quarter’s selections have audiobooks available. MOAA is an Amazon Associate and earns money from qualifying purchases, with the revenue supporting The MOAA Foundation. 

Visit MOAA’s Professional Reading List for more great reads.

Almanac of World War I

By David F. Burg and L. Edward Purcell. University Press of Kentucky, 1998. 

Authors Burg and Purcell (The World Almanac of the American Revolution) have produced an excellent single-volume history of World War I, a day-to-day account of events in all theaters of the war.

Along with a brilliant introduction by William Manchester, the almanac is nicely supplemented with maps, photos, illustrations, sidebars, and a comprehensive bibliography. Learn what happened in Africa in June 1915 and in Mesopotamia in March 1918. Excellent reference material.

Combat Leader’s Field Guide

Stackpole Books, 1980.

Prepared by instructors at the U.S. Army Infantry School, this pocket-size book is loaded with tactical, logistical, administrative, and leadership information intended for infantry or any military personnel who must fight like infantry.

Sections include subjects like movement to contact, fighting positions, use of compass and map reading, hasty and deliberate attacks, patrolling, prisoners of war, field communications, land mines, and troop leading procedures. Excellent information to be applied for small units in any theater, under any conditions. This review is of the ninth edition; newer additions are available.

Uncommon Valor: Marine Divisions in Action

Infantry Journal Press, 1946.

Six combat correspondents write about the six Marine Corps divisions (1st through 6th) that fought in the Pacific during World War II. Written by journalists who were with those divisions in places like Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Bougainville, New Britain, Peleliu, Saipan, Guam, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa, their stories tell of ambushes, patrols, assaults, and large and small scale actions.

From privates to generals, these were men whose courage under fire demonstrated that “uncommon valor was a common virtue.”

The Survival Handbook

By Bill Merrill. Arco Publishing Co., 1978.

Merrill’s 36 years as a wilderness park ranger give him the expertise and authority to offer survival techniques for military personnel and civilians who find themselves in a survival situation in any conditions – hot, cold, wet, mountains, deserts, even on water.

Simple, detailed instructions cover how to make shelter; prepare fire and cook food; live off plants, animals, and fish; and signal. A special chapter on woodlore covers how to tie knots and use tools like a knife and axe. Sound advice for anyone who wants to stay alive outdoors.

Ships and How They Sailed the Seven Seas

By Henrik Willem Van Loon. Simon and Schuster, 1935.

Prolific historian Van Loon describes the maritime history of the world in 17 chapters, from the earliest Pacific and Mediterranean sailors and their boats through the ages of exploration, discovery, and imperialism. He also tells of nautical design and development over the centuries, as well as stories of the men who went to sea in reed boats, Chinese junks, galleys, floating castles, warships, and steamers.

Other fascinating topics include navigation techniques, signals, sail rigs, piloting, and war at sea. Van Loon is a masterful storyteller – and he can be quite funny, too.