If the reader's goal in reading this book is to learn of the causes, events, and effects of the Crimean War, "The Crimean War: A Reappraisal," is not the book to read. As implied by the subtitle, the author provides only a fragmented picture of the war. Instead, the book relies heavily upon a generous string of direct quotes (sometimes going on for more than a page) held together by dreary and disappointing prose displaying little or no analysis. On the whole, a desultory attempt to examine a war about which very little is known. Even less is learned from a reader wasting time on this boring disjointed tome. Not worth the precious shelf space it occupies. ( )

Case 2 shelf 6