Tank: 100 Years of the World's Most Important Armored Military Vehicle Hardcover – November 2, 2015

Quite frankly, it only gets my 3 stars because of its amazing collection of unique photos and more or less well written dialogue.However, it possesses many unforgivable errors that leave any WWII student with a good knowledge of period tanks scratching their heads. More than 10 pictures, all of Panzer tanks, that are very clear, easy views of the vehicle are incorrectly labeled, either one back or one forward. For instance, a picture of a Panzer II behind Erwin Rommel that gives an excellent view of the unique turret and distinguishable wheelies is labeled Panzer I. The same with many clear photos of Panzer I, II, and IIIs. Another example is a photo of several Panzer IV H tanks riding down a street. The turret and hull possess the clear cut angles of the IV, not to mention the unique gun mount, yet they are labeled as Tigers.Obviously, it could be just a random plethora of typos, but I personally believe that whoever labeled the photos, whether they were Michael E. Haskew or not, didn't know the first thing about tanks.Photo labeling errors aside, it's an extremely disorganized book that jumps from topic to topic without any clear order. Suddenly, we go from discussing M3s and M4s to French Char B1s that were developed years before and are French tanks anyway. The Korean War isn't mentioned in the Cold War era but instead is mentioned in "Territorial Wars", as if Haskew is being overtly politically correct, or historically inept. The Leopard 1 tank isn't mentioned hardly at all, but paragraphs and paragraphs are devoted to the Leopard 2. Likewise, the Pershing is barely mentioned, and instead long sections are given to the M48 Patton, while I don't even remember reading anything on the Chaffee or Walker Bulldog. Finally, the vaunted M1 Abrams is dismissed as as dependable, but costly tank that's just an American thing while the Challenger is praised as a stealthy, well armored fighting machine that possesses the best tank gun of all time.Altogether, Michael E. Haskew takes a wonderful collection of unique photos and propaganda pictures and pretty much ruins it by writing on a topic he either didn't devote much time to or simply doesn't know a whole lot about. If you like the nice picture collection, buy it. If you want to learn about tanks, then steer clear, because it appears Haskew and you are pretty much at the same level.

This is a really good read.

Son liked all the pictures...

Wonderful book

If you like tanks, you need this book.Amazing pics, accurate historical information and a very good edition.I am very happy with this purchase.

Nothing new. Very general and basic information.

"Stealth technology allows the Challenger 2 to close with the enemy undetected, then select and destroy a target without drawing return fire." — Page 218, Tanks: 100 Years of the World's Most Important Armored Military Vehicle.Is this an outright lie? Not quite, but you need some context to decipher what "stealth technology" can possibly mean to a seventy-five ton hunk of steel.Because of the breadth of the topic over a short 240 pages, TANKS fights an uphill battle distilling the development and origin of tanks, as well as collecting the multi-national aspect of their history. It has great images and slick presentation, reminiscent of the movie "Fury." Presentation is why I personally bought this from my local bookstore, but what was lacking was the organization of the writing within the covers.The way in which differing nations developed tanks is scattered haphazardly across several chapters and is confusing to follow. This is compounded by several images with incorrect and misplaced captions. I'm a fan of history books that discuss the facts or the interesting stories from people who were there at the time; one might be Hunnicutt's "Firepower," the other might be Belton Cooper's "Death Traps."Haskew's tanks is spare on well-cited historical content or the interesting stories that make many books, even if inaccurate, entertaining to read. A lot of the arguments created in the writing are suspect and look dated in comparison to analysis from writers like Zaloga. It feels much like a summary because of that, and I felt my $50 at time of purchase was a bit of a waste.For a complete newcomer to the topic of armored vehicles, it might still be a worthwhile read, but you may also find yourself with more questions than answers due to sloppy organization. For a denser, but ultimately better overview of tank development over the years, I suggest: https://www.amazon.com/TANK-VERSUS-Illustrated-Battlefield-Twentieth/dp/1902304306

A great overall introduction to tanks from around the world, starting in the days leading up to WWI (tracked vehicles) and ending in 2015. The photo program in this book is stellar, as are the illustrations (movie posters, like Humphrey Bogart's "Sahara," pop culture references, ads featuring Cadillacs with tanks, etc.) This is a great introduction to tanks meant for interested readers approaching the subject for the first time.

No problems

a bit brief on every detail

If you are looking for a book that provides a history of the tank, and is well-illustrated, this is a nice book to have. I enjoyed reading it, and learned quite a bit despite having read other books on the subject. There's lots of photos and drawings here, which help in the narrative. The history of the tank, as explained here, is consistent with other histories I've read, although there are a few minor deviations of facts. I don't know enough to know which is correct, at this point.The narrative itself is a bit inconsistent, making it appear as though numerous sources have been tied together to create this book, some more detailed than others. I also noted a few minor mistakes in typography, which was disappointing. Some of the photo captions appear incorrect, too. In the end, there's a lot of basic information here, but the errors and editing seem out of place in a historical analysis of the subject.

Perfect condition, my boyfriend loves it