The House of War

Ambitious in range, pacy and highly readable, and admirably clear, it should be essential reading for diplomats, military leaders and politicians. * General Sir Patrick Sanders, former Chief of the General Staff *No one could be better qualified to write on this fascinating subject … Simon Mayall is a soldier-scholar at the top of his game. * Andrew Roberts, author of ‘Churchill: Walking with Destiny’ *This is a remarkable book. * The Rt Hon The Lord Soames of Fletching *An engrossing account of over a thousand years of conflict that has shaped our world. * Dan Snow *Rarely has a military history book been so necessary and well-timed as Simon Mayall’s erudite and entertaining The House of War. * Nicholas Hopton, former UK Ambassador to Iran, Libya, Qatar and Yemen *A fascinating history. – Charles Moore * The Spectator *Simon Mayall sustains remarkable clarity in description and analysis. The book will be of enormous interest to historians who seek to understand the many dimensions of the situation in the Middle East and beyond. * Pennant *…[The] House of War is a great narrative history. * The Critic *

Simon Mayall is a former soldier in the British Army, and an acknowledged expert on the history of the Middle East, and of the Crusades. Much of his 40-year professional career was focussed on the Middle East, and he has strong family and academic interests in the region. His last appointments were as the British Government’s ‘Defence Senior Adviser for the Middle East’, and the Prime Minister’s ‘Security Envoy to Iraq and the Kurdish Region’. He has written a book on Turkey’s post-Cold War security policy, and a thesis on Jihadist Ideology. He most recently published Soldier in the Sand – A Personal History of the Modern Middle East. This work is a combination of military memoir, family story, and an examination of the history, religion, ideologies and culture of the Middle East. He is a regular media contributor on Middle East and Defence and Security issues.