Crimean Quagmire

'Carleton's new book successfully evokes [the] revolution in how wars were portrayed and how governments (particularly in democratic countries) became more accountable as a result of that process.' -- <b><I>The Irish Times</I></b> 'The core contention [...] is that Leo Tolstoy and William Howard Russell revolutionised war reporting [...] Carleton's command of Russian and British sources offers a stereo vision and reveals striking parallels.' -- <b><I>Times Literary Supplement</I></b>  'Gregory Carleton has written a good deal about Russia at war... [He argues that] Tolstoy and Russell brought to an end the age-old rhetoric of what he calls the ""heroic default.""' -- <b><I>The Spectator</I></b> 'Careful research.' -- <b><I>History Today</I></b> 'Carleton eloquently sets out the legacy of Tolstoy and Russell. Their on-the-spot writings demonstrated that the importance of the Crimean War lies not in accounts of muskets versus rifles, but in the appalling suffering and lives lost on both sides of the conflict.' -- <b>Barbara Emerson, author of <i>The First Cold War</i></b> 'A masterful exploration of the Crimean War as a harbinger of modern quagmires, told in a way that both echoes Homer's Troy and foreshadows the follies of Vietnam and Afghanistan. Recommended for anyone interested in humanity's search for meaning amidst the backdrop of war.' -- <b>Jonathan Brunstedt, Associate Professor of History, Texas A&M University</b> 'Insightful and beautifully written, tracing how the Crimean War changed the relationship between the front and the home front. This will also appeal to those interested in Tolstoy's early work and in the development of modern war journalism.' -- <b>Adrienne Harris, Associate Professor of Russian, Baylor University</b> 'An engagingly written history. With pointed comparisons between the two empires at war, Carleton creates a narrative of a new kind of warfare, where reporting is almost as relevant as territorial gain, and he thus sheds new light also on other war stories.' -- <b>Birgit Beumers, Research Associate, University of Passau</b> 'A compelling account. Carleton shows how, despite their differing contexts, Russell and Tolstoy converged on description of three novel features of the bloody conflict: the notion of a quagmire or a war without meaningful resolution; the rise of secular patriotism with little room for religion; and the rejection of a mythology of heroic death in armed conflict. Historians of the nineteenth century and educated readers will find the book moving and informative.' -- <b>Jeffrey Brooks, Professor Emeritus of History, Johns Hopkins University</b>