Peter Hoskins – författare

This popular text provides a comprehensive, yet accessible, introduction to the physics and technology of medical ultrasound, with high quality ultrasound images and diagrams throughout. Covering all aspects of the field at a level that meetings the requirements of accredited sonography courses, it is ideal for both trainee and qualified healthcare professionals practising ultrasound in a clinical setting. Building on the content of previous editions, this third edition provides the latest guidance relating to ultrasound technology, quality assurance and safety and discusses the latest techniques.

This popular text provides a comprehensive, yet accessible, introduction to the physics and technology of medical ultrasound, with high quality ultrasound images and diagrams throughout. Covering all aspects of the field at a level that meetings the requirements of accredited sonography courses, it is ideal for both trainee and qualified healthcare professionals practising ultrasound in a clinical setting. Building on the content of previous editions, this third edition provides the latest guidance relating to ultrasound technology, quality assurance and safety and discusses the latest techniques.

Histories of the Hundred Years War have been written, and accounts of the famous battles, but until now no book has concentrated on the sieges that played a decisive role in the protracted struggle between England and France. Edward III's capture of Calais in 1347 was of crucial importance for the English, and the failure of the English siege of Orl ans in 1429 was a turning point for the French after the disaster of Agincourt. Throughout the war, sieges were a major weapon in the strategic armouries of both sides, and Peter Hoskins's perceptive and graphic study is a fascinating analysis of them.He describes the difficulties faced by besieger and besieged, examines the logistics and resource implications of sieges, and provides a comparative assessment of siege warfare alongside set-piece battles and the English strategy of chevauch es. Key sieges are reconstructed in vivid detail, other sieges are summarized, and the book is fully illustrated with photographs and plans.

What were the essential qualities for a military commander during the Hundred Years War? How important were strategic vision, tactical skill and powers of leadership in medieval warfare? These are the questions that Peter Hoskins explores in this perceptive study of the careers of Edward, the Black Prince who led the English army to victory at the Battle of Poitiers and the opponent he defeated, the French King Jean II. Their contrasting characters and backgrounds are considered as is the military tradition of their time, but the primary focus of the book is a close comparison of their strengths and weaknesses as soldiers as they were revealed on campaign and on the battlefield.The Black Prince was one of the most admired generals of his generation, a charismatic leader, a shrewd tactician and strategist and a decisive commander. In contrast King Jean was impulsive, driven more by pride, his sense of honour and personal objectives than strategic priorities. When he was put to the ultimate test at Poitiers he lost control of his army, while the Black Prince took the initiative personally to secure victory against the odds.Peter Hoskins analyses the leadership qualities of the prince and the king according to the principles of war enunciated by Sun Tzu and Vegetius as well as the modern principles of war of the United Kingdom armed forces. He gives readers a fascinating insight into the nature of command and the conduct of war in the Middle Ages.

The author has retraced on foot the routes taken by the Black Prince during the French campaigns of 1355-1356, enabling him to provide an entirely new dimension to the events.In 1355 the Black Prince took an army to Bordeaux and embarked on two chevauchées (mounted military expeditions, generally characterised by the devastation of the surrounding towns and countryside), which culminated in hisdecisive victory over King Jean II of France at Poitiers the following year. Using the recorded itineraries as his starting point, the author of this book walked more than 1,300 miles across France, retracing the routes of the armies in search of a greater understanding of the Black Prince's expedition. He followed the 1355 chevauchée from Bordeaux to the Mediterranean and back, and that for 1356 from Aquitaine to the Loire, to the battlefield at Poitiers, and back again to Bordeaux. Drawing on his findings on the ground, a wide range of documentary sources, and the work of local historians, many of whom the author met on his travels, the book provides a unique perspective on the Black Prince's chevauchées of 1355 and 1356 and the battle of Poitiers, one of the greatest English triumphs of the Hundred Years War, demonstrating in particular the impact of the landscape on the campaigns.Peter Hoskins is a former Royal Air Force pilot, now living in France. He combines his interest in exploration of his adopted country with his research into the Hundred Years War.