Lepanto 1571: The greatest naval battle of the Renaissance (Campaign, 114)

Any review of this book would have to start out by pointing out that it is part of Osprey Publishing’s “Campaign” series. As such it is only 96 pages, a rough third or so of which consist of illustrations of one type or another (i.e., maps, contemporaneous paintings of battle scenes and leading characters, etc.). Hence if one is looking for an in-depth academic opus, this is not the book. It is geared more towards getting a reader up to speed on the subject in about an hour and a half or so.A second point that needs to be made is that the book’s author, Angus Konstam, is a leading scholar on maritime history and really knows his material. This is plain by the extensive biography and the discussion, in the book, of the many primary non-English sources in regard to various aspects of the campaign (i.e., narrative of battle, leaders, etc.). This is the book’s best positive.The book, like a typical Osprey Campaign series books, starts out describing the strategic geopolitical situation, the navies involved and the leaders. All and all pretty good. The only weakness here is a lack of serious discussion as to what the Ottoman fleet’s goal was. Was it in Lepanto to launch an attack on Venice to knock it out of the Holy League (thus insuring Ottoman naval supremacy in the Mediterranean)? Or, instead, was it there to try to blunt any naval incursions by the Holy League into Ottoman possessions further East? That is the million dollar question that it leaves unanswered.The book also points out that this was the last major naval battle where galleys played a predominant role. Unfortunately, there is no discussion or analysis of how, at this point, galleys had reached the peak of their game in terms of naval engineering. Then again, this book is only 96 pages long.About halfway through the book, the narrative on how the actual battle itself played out actually starts. Mr. Konstam provides a very good discussion and analysis, especially in terms of breaking out the analysis in terms of the 3 fronts the battle took place on, northern, central and southern. The maps included in the book are quite good illustrating this. However, the author does make it sound that historians are pretty well fixed on how the battle played out and this is pretty hard to believe considering that there are great uncertainties held by historians of battles of only a few decades ago. It is hard to believe that there could so much certainty regarding how this battle played out. One cannot but be reminded of Clemenceau’s quote shortly after WWI ended (paraphrasing), when asked how WWI started, “the only thing that will not be said is that Belgium attacked Germany”.Another weakness is the lack of footnotes and citations. This is especially a shame considering how researched this book is. Then again, this is an Osprey Campaign book and this Achille’s heel applies to all these books (I hope someone from Osprey is reading this).Despite all the above weaknesses still a pretty good overview of the battle, especially for someone who desires to get up to speed in about an hour and a half or so. Highly recommended.

When you purchase an Osprey Campaign Book, you never know what you are going to get. Many of the series books are painful to read. In so many books, the poor author is the world's foremost expert on some obscure campaign or battle and while trying to present the love of their life, the author gets painfully lost in obscure details. Fortunately, Angus Konstam is not one of those authors. The man can write! "Lepanto 1571" was a pure joy to read. Highly recommended!

I have been very pleased with and impressed with the quality of Osprey publications. The Campaign series are focused on military campaigns from ancient times through the current era. I have found the books in the Osprey Campaign series to be a great source and frequently the only source for well-researched information on military campaigns especially in the ancient campaigns through early 20th century campaigns. Lepanto 1571 provides detail on the origin of the campaign and the Christian and Muslim opposing fleets, commanders, naval strategy, the battle itself and the aftermath of this decisive battle.

This book sets the standard for all books in the Osprey Campaign series. It focuses on the battle, is well organized, and easy to read. Konstam and Bryan should be commended for a job well done. Anyone who has read an Osprey Campaign book will recognizes the familiar organization of the chapters. Essentially, the authors improve upon this well established pattern through effective writing. The chapter on Opposing Commanders provides a good example. A paragraph is devoted to each relevant character. In addition, the individual's name is highlighted in bold at the beginning of each paragraph. This simple element allows the reader to easily refer back to this chapter as needed. A significant portion of this book is focused on the battle itself. Although one might think this obvious, it is not the case in all Osprey books. The Battle of Lepanto consisted of action between three smaller divisions, the North, Center, and Southern "Battles." The author takes the time to inform the reader that he will discuss each action in its entirety instead of covering the whole battle simultaneously. The point is that the reader knows what the author is doing and doesn't have to guess. The Battle of Lepanto contains several significant figures, multiple countries, and a battle that has three significant actions. The complexity of this battle provides numerous opportunities for an author to write a confusing and jumbled narrative. The fact that Konstam and Bryan cover this battle in a clear and easy to read fashion is commendable. As noted above, this book sets the standard for which all Osprey books should strive to reach.

Excelente, como todo lo de Osprey. Las ilustraciones muestran claramente las tacticas militares. Y las descripciones de los comandantes implicados y las formaciones son de lo mejor. El libro llegó en tiempo y en forma en perfecto estado.

Great quality

Just Finished this book today, and I must say that I have thouroughly enjoyed it.

I like it.

Great detail. Visited Italy-Venice this Summer (Palazzo Ducale) and wanted to know more about the battle. Great detail and description of the circumstances of the fighting and the commanders. The artwork is not the best from all the osprey series.