Product Description

On 1st November 1911, Lieutenant Cavarotti leaned out of the cockpit of his delicate aircraft and, holding a Haasen hand grenade, began one of the most devastating military tactics of the 20th century: aerial bombing. This is but one of the points of entry Lindqvist presents in this innovative history. Structuring the book in a way that re-enacts the disruptions of history caused by the advent of the bomb, Lindqvist offers his readers a series of ways into and paths through this re-examination of a century of war, looking at the fascinating histories behind the development of air power, bombs and the laws of war and international justice, demonstrating how the practices of two world wars were born of colonial warfare.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1199631 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05-10
• Original language: Swedish
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Sven Lindqvist has acquired a reputation as an innovative writer with an unorthodox line in cultural histories, so expect the unexpected with A History of Bombing. Rather than a straightforward linear narrative, Lindqvist has divided the book into a labyrinth of 399 short sections that can be read in any number of orders. The author has established 22 entrances into the book and to follow the different themes you have to weave your way backward and forward through the text; if you get waylaid by another section en route you end up somewhere else entirely. The idea behind this structure is to demonstrate the chaos of history and the difficulties in navigating a coherent path through differing viewpoints and interpretations. As an intellectual conceit it might sound brilliant but the reality is somewhat different. Reading this book is like wading through treacle; it is demanding, time-consuming and ultimately frustrating. This is a pity, because had Lindqvist kept to a more conventional structure one suspects his arguments might have carried more weight. Lindqvist draws his material from both official and personal sources and his aim is to make clear the immorality of bombing. Unfortunately he is not always a reliable witness, as his desire to prove his case results in some important documentary omissions. His discussions of both the blanket bombing of Germany during the Second World War and the dropping of the atom bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki contain almost no reference to how events might have panned out had they not taken place and whether there might have been an even greater loss of life. For the reader with tenacity and perseverance there is a decent enough polemic to be found; for those who are looking for a more detailed and accessible history, Robin Neillands's The Bomber War is a far more rewarding read. --John Crace

Review
'Ingenious and timely...deserves to be read by all who wish to understand militarism in its many guises' John Pilger 'One of the most original and imaginative authors working today' Richard Gott 'Sven Lindqvist is not only a remarkable historian, he is also one of the best storytellers in the historical profession today' Joanna Bourke, TLS 'It is learned, yet concise; doom-laden, yet light. A sobering and important argument...it is gripping stuff. Lindqvist has written an exceptionally good book' Robert Winder, New Statesman

Publishing News
'So comprehensive is Lindqvist’s investigation that it’s hard to imagine a more assiduous chronicler of the subject.'

Customer Reviews

A fascinating "hyperlinked" history
Sven Lindqvist has produced a fascinating presentation of a fearsome subject. He cleverly uses a technique usually associated with web browsing to draw themes across the time-line. The result is that he develops in the reader a depth of understanding which would not be possible in a traditional linear text. As I progressed through the book through its various access points, I knew exactly where I was in time and understood how that theme interacted with concurrent themes. None of this, of course, would be of value if Lindqvists writing failed to engross. His hypotheses on the real nature of bombing (based in part on his own personal experience) give the armchair viewer a real sense of the outrage of this facet of warfare.

Disturbing
This book is a history of bombing - both conventional and nuclear - and it effects on mankind. It is at times profoundly disturbing, and is thought-provoking and intriguing throughout. The illustrations are good, too. As well as coverage of the factual history of bombing, one interesting sideline is an examination of how fiction has viewed weapons of mass destruction. The layout is interesting too, with the book divided into small sections that are hyperlinked by reference numbers. I'm not convinced this adds much, but it certainly doesn't detract.

Reminds us of the blood behind the headlines
Normally I would give this book five stars; it only gets four because I compare it to "Exterminate all the Brutes" by the same author - "Bombing" is not quite as elegant.
The original Swedish title of "A History of Bombing" is the equivalent of "Bang-You're Dead!" I find this title far more apt. The book is not a meticulous, ossified 'history'. It is more an expose of how bombing allows humans to commit atrocious violence at a distance, and so makes killing easier on the conscience and pocket. Bombing, like shooting your mate with a toy gun at age 5, doesn't require you to confront any spilt organs or other unsavoury realities. Lindqvist references early Sci-fi visions of WMD to accentuate this imagination/reality gap and (in my humble opinion) show us how much of war is really fear of monsters combined with a most infantile lack of empathy. British readers will find the detailed description of the fire-bombing of Dresden ungentlemanly. But it is exactly the kind of shameful knowledge we should all keep in mind at all times, and most of all when involved in "war against" X, Y or Z. It is too easy to destroy and too hard to create and we all need to remain awake to that fact. This book does a sterling job of reminding us.