John P. Dunn – författare

Khedive Ismail's Army examines military failure in the age of imperialism. On paper, the mid-nineteenth century Egyptian army seems a formidable regional power. It had a tradition of success, modern weapons, and mercenary officers with experience in major wars. Egypt's ruler, Khedive Ismail, hoped to combine the imported technology and brains with native manpower, and establish an Egyptian dominated Horn of Africa. His soldiers did conquer parts of the Sudan, but they suffered disastrous defeats during the Egyptian Abyssinian War of 1875 to 1876.Presenting the first detailed examination of the Egyptian Abyssinian War in English, this new book also looks at the root problems that made Ismail's soldiers ineffective. These include issues of class, racism, internal, and external politics, finance, and the rapidly changing world of mid-Nineteenth Century military technology. This book is aimed at military historians, and will be of interest to those studying the Middle East or North East Africa.

Khedive Ismail's Army examines military failure in the age of imperialism. On paper, the mid-nineteenth century Egyptian army seems a formidable regional power. It had a tradition of success, modern weapons, and mercenary officers with experience in major wars. Egypt's ruler, Khedive Ismail, hoped to combine the imported technology and brains with native manpower, and establish an Egyptian dominated Horn of Africa. His soldiers did conquer parts of the Sudan, but they suffered disastrous defeats during the Egyptian Abyssinian War of 1875 to 1876.Presenting the first detailed examination of the Egyptian Abyssinian War in English, this new book also looks at the root problems that made Ismail's soldiers ineffective. These include issues of class, racism, internal, and external politics, finance, and the rapidly changing world of mid-Nineteenth Century military technology. This book is aimed at military historians, and will be of interest to those studying the Middle East or North East Africa.

Global Themes in World History since 1500 provides students with a concise, thematic approach to world history with emphasis on topics and themes representative of global patterns across time. Students are challenged to embrace the idea that history, while based on primary source evidence, is also based on historians' interpretations of that evidence, and that historiography changes through time and place.The book addresses diverse topics and research areas, including the history of Africa, the African diaspora, world military history, modern Europe, the Middle East, empires and imperialism, food history, cultural history, and more.Each chapter explores key themes that reflect important transitions in world history research and writing: geography and environment; material culture; science and technology; gender and sexuality; and war, peace, and diplomacy. Throughout, students are provided with primary sources, discussion questions, images, timelines, glossary terms, and suggested additional readings and media to deepen the learning experience.An engaging, diverse, and accessible text, Global Themes in World History since 1500 is well suited to undergraduate courses in modern world history.

From the prehistoric era to the present, food culture has helped to define civilizations. This reference surveys food culture and cooking from antiquity to the modern era, providing background information along with menus and recipes.Food culture has been central to world civilizations since prehistory. While early societies were limited in terms of their resources and cooking technology, methods of food preparation have flourished throughout history, with food central to social gatherings, celebrations, religious functions, and other aspects of daily life. This book surveys the history of cooking from the ancient world through the modern era.The first volume looks at the history of cooking from antiquity through the Early Modern era, while the second focuses on the modern world. Each volume includes a chronology, historical introduction, and topical chapters on foodstuffs, food preparation, eating habits, and other subjects. Sections on particular civilizations follow, with each section offering a historical overview, recipes, menus, primary source documents, and suggestions for further reading. The work closes with a selected, general bibliography of resources suitable for student research.

A Naval History of the Middle East, 500-2020 examines how sea power impacted on a wide range of nations. But just what is “the Middle East?” The editors’ definition is broad, ranging from Morocco to Iran, and the Black Sea to the Indian Ocean. Our start point connects readers to the last war between the Byzantine Empire and Sassanid Iran, results of which benefit the rapid expansion of Islam.Naval force originally came from warships propelled via oars and sails. These protected sailing ships used to transport soldiers or supplies. Combat mainly involved missile fire and boarding actions. As human rowers pulled the oars, strategy focused on securing food and water. Ships did not carry much of either, and needed frequent resupply.Ports were prizes of great value, their control allowing admirals to advance, or halt an opponent whose crews seldom had more than a few days of water. Galley warfare had been this way since ancient times, but changed as new technologies like “Greek Fire” added new military options, or larger sailing ships extended storage capabilities, thus expanding an admiral’s reach.Although early Muslim fleets did not have the naval traditions of the Byzantines, their leaders recognized the value of sea power. One might remember that “admiral” comes from Arabic. Muslims fought each other, along with their traditional Byzantine opponents and European volunteers serving during the Crusades.Fighting ranged from fleet actions to amphibious operations, and piracy. Both Muslim and Christian pirates operated across the Mediterranean and Red Seas, plus the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. Pirates continue to operate in the 21st Century.Major change comes from Ottoman naval expansion in the 1500s. This was also a period of technological innovations with gunpowder weapons and larger sailing vessels supplanting boarding actions and galleys. Steam power, ironclads, torpedoes, aircraft, and missiles speed up these trends during the 19th and 20th Centuries.We tell this story with a historical overview, supported by specific case studies. Our goal is to show Middle Eastern powers successfully employed navies to enforce national goals, and that powerful traditions support a continuation of naval forces in the 21st Century.