Military History collections

Scope of the collection

Founded in 1841, the Library’s collection has grown each year and we hold titles from the late 18th century onwards on the open shelves.  As a result, our collection reflects the evolution and changes in thinking in a particular subject and does mean that you may come across titles which contain ideas and vocabulary that would be considered abhorrent today. The collection continues to grow with some 5,000 new titles being added each year. As we develop the collection, we seek to ensure that the controversial topics of today are represented from all sides of a debate.

Understanding shelfmarks

The Library’s collection is divided into broad subject areas (e.g. History, Literature, and Topography) and then into smaller areas, arranged alphabetically. Within each subject category, books are arranged alphabetically by their author’s surname or, in the case of edited collections or books with multiple authors, by their title.  Check the Catalogue record for the ‘shelved under’ information. 

In order to make the most effective use of space, the collection is also shelved by size. Check the end of shelfmarks for the notations 4to. (Quarto), Small Folio, Folio, and Folio Extra Large, which may indicate a different place to look for the books.   

Above is an example of a book record from the Catalogue.  Here you can see that the book is available (i.e. on the shelf) in the History section (H.), in the sub-section for European War II and then shelved under the author Davies-Strodder.  

Labels on the edges of the shelves will guide you through the section. Some shelfmarks are large, such as H. European War II and are subdivided further by letters marking the authors’ surnames (or titles in the case of edited collections).  

Books may be requested and put aside ready for collection, but we would always encourage members to browse the shelves and discover books serendipitously. Items from the Library’s Special Collections cannot be borrowed but may be consulted in the Library under supervised conditions, given 72 hours’ notice. 

Books and eBooks

The Library’s collection includes both academic eBooks and other fiction and non-fiction eBooks available through the Libby platform. All academic eBooks will appear in your search results in the Library Catalogue. Those available through Libby are also in our Catalogue but can also be searched separately through the Libby platform, which you also need in order to access these titles.

Works on Military History can be found in a variety of shelfmarks including:

History

H. Armies (Gen.) & Armaments
General works on armies, armaments and arms control, e.g.War volunteering in modern times : from the French Revolution to the Second World War / Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. [ H. Armies (Gen.) & Armaments ]

H. Army

Works on the history of individual armies, shelved by country. The sequence starts with H. Army, Australian & N.Z. and runs up to H. Army, United States. Works on the British Army are shelved under H. Army, English, works on the Austrian Army are shelved under H. Army, German &c. Please note that the shelfmarks H. European War I and H. European War II take precedence over all other shelfmarks. Therefore, histories of the British Army in the Second World War are shelved under H. European War II, e.g. Nalder, R. F. H.(Reginald Francis Heaton),1895- The history of British army signals in the Second World War : general survey / London : Royal Signals Institution, 1953. [ H. European War II ]

H. Battles

Works on key battles in history, mostly covering several battles. This section includes titles such as
Colvin, John. Decisive battles : over 20 key naval and military encounters that shaped the course of history / London : Headline, 2004, c2003. [ H. Battles ] or Decisive battles of the twentieth century : land, sea, air / London : Sidgwick & Jackson, 1976. [ H. Battles ]
If the wider conflict the battle was part of has its own shelfmark, works on individual battles are shelved there, e.g. titles on Verdun in H. European War I, titles on Stalingrad in H. European War II, titles on Waterloo in H. Napoleonic Wars

H. Naval Hist.

Works on maritime history, both civil and military. This section includes general works on key sea battles in history and works on the history of individual navies, e.g. Redford, Duncan. The Royal Navy : a history since 1900 / London ; New York, N.Y. : I. B. Tauris, in association with The National Museum [of the] Royal Navy, 2014. [ H. Naval Hist. ] or Kelly, Patrick J.,1944- Tirpitz and the Imperial German Navy / Bloomington, Ind. : Indiana University Press ; [c2011]. [ H. Naval Hist. ]
Again, H. European War I and H. European War II take precedence. Therefore, works on the history of the Royal Navy in the Second World War are shelved under H. European War II, works on the Battle of Jutland under H. European War I, works on the Battle of Midway under H. European War II

H. Reg. Hist.

Regimental histories of regiments in the British Army, e.g. Sutherland, Douglas,1919-1995. The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (the 91st and 93rd Highlanders) / London : Leo Cooper, 1969. [ H. Reg. Hist., Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders ]
The sequence runs from H. Reg. Hist., Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders up to H. Reg. Hist., York Chasseurs. Again, H. European War I and H. European War II take precedence. Therefore, regimental histories just covering the war years are shelved under the relevant war, e.g. Maddocks, Graham. Liverpool Pals : a history of the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th (Service) Battalions, the King's (Liverpool Regiment), 1914-1919 / London : Pen & Sword Military, c2008 [ H. European War I ]

Shelfmarks on individual wars include:

H. Balkan Wars
H. China-Japan Wars
H. Crimean War
H. European War I (covering the Great War)
H. European War II (covering the Second World War)
H. Franco-German War
H. Greco-Turkish War
H. Hundred Years' War
H. Napoleonic Wars
H. Peninsular War
H. Russo-Japanese War
H. Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78
H. Schleswig-Holstein War
H. Seven Years' War
H. Spanish-American War
H. Spanish Civil War
H. Spanish Succession, War of
H. Turco-Italian War
H. United States, Civil War
H. War of 1866

Other relevant History shelfmarks include:

H. Abyssinian Campaigns 
H. Afghan Campaigns
H. African (South) Campaigns
H. Ashantee Campaigns
H. Austrian Campaigns
H. Baltic Campaigns
H. Benin Campaign
H. Chinese Campaigns
H. Crusades
H. Egyptian Campaigns
H. Indian Campaigns
H. Indian Mutiny
H. Military Orders
H. Paris, Siege of
H. Russian Campaigns
H. Sieges

Wars which do not have their own shelfmark include:

Thirty Years' War (shelved in H. Germany)
Korean War (shelved in H. Korea)
Vietnam War (shelved in H. Indo-China)
Falklands War (shelved in T[opography]. Falkland Islands)
Iran-Iraq War, 1980-1988 (shelved in H. Persia)
Persian Gulf War, 1991 (shelved in H. Middle East)
Afghan War, 2001- (shelved in H. Afghanistan)
Iraq War, 2003-2011 (shelved in H. Mesopotamia)

Biography 

Biographical works on important figures in Military History are shelved in the Biography section under the name of the subject, e.g. Stoker, Donald J. Clausewitz : his life and work / New York, N.Y. : Oxford University Press, 2014. [ Biog. Clausewitz, Carl von ] or Notin, Jean-Christophe. Foch / [Paris] : Perrin, c2008. [ Biog. Foch]

Science & Miscellaneous

S. Aeronautics
Works on aeronautics, both civil and military. This section includes general works on key aerial battles in history and works on the history of individual air forces, e.g. Jones, Neville. The beginnings of strategic air power : a history of the British bomber force, 1923-1939 / London : Cass, 1987. [ S. Aeronautics ] or Mason, Herbert Molloy. The rise of the Luftwaffe, 1918-1940. London : Cassell, 1975, c1973. [ S. Aeronautics ]
Again, H. European War I and H. European War II take precedence. Therefore, works on the history of the Royal Air Force in the Second World War are shelved under H. European War II, as are works on the Battle of Britain or the Allied Bomber Offensive.

S. Arms & Armour

Works on military armour and weapons, like swords, tanks, landmines, etc., e.g. Coombs, Benjamin. British tank production and the war economy, 1934-1945 / London : Bloomsbury Academic, 2013. [ S. Arms & Armour ]

S. Artillery

Works on the development and history of artillery, e.g. Smith, Robert D.(Robert Douglas),1954- The artillery of the Dukes of Burgundy 1363-1477 / Woodbridge, Suffolk : Boydell Press, 2005. [ S. Artillery ]

Please note that works on the Royal Regiment of Artillery are shelved in H. Reg. Hist., as are works on the Royal Horse Artillery, the Royal Field Artillery and the Royal Garrison Artillery. Again, histories of the use and deployment of artillery in the World Wars are shelved in the respective shelfmarks covering those conflicts.

S. Military Medicine &c.

Works on military medicine, nursing, military medical services and issues like shell-shock, e.g.
Wanke, Paul. Russian/Soviet military psychiatry, 1904-1945 / London : Cass, 2005. [ S. Military Medicine &c. ]
Please note that works on the Royal Army Medical Corps are shelved in H. Reg. Hist. Again, histories of military medicine in the World Wars are shelved in the respective shelfmarks covering those conflicts.

S. Military Science

Works on strategy and tactics, war planning and fighting techniques, like counterinsurgency, drone warfare, etc. The writings of military thinkers like Clausewitz, Schlieffen, Sun Zi, etc. are also shelved here. This section includes titles such as Coker, Christopher. Warrior geeks : how 21st-century technology is changing the way we fight and think about war / London : Hurst & Company, 2013. [ S. Military Science]  or Kilcullen, David. The accidental guerrilla : fighting small wars in the midst of a big one / London : Hurst, 2009. [ S. Military Science ]

S. National Defence

Works on national defences, international security, the nuclear arms race, etc. This section includes titles such as Shaping British foreign and defence policy in the twentieth century : a tough ask in turbulent times / Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. [ S. National Defence ] or Hoffman, David E.(David Emanuel) The dead hand : Reagan, Gorbachev and the untold story of the Cold War arms race / London : Icon Books, 2011. [ S. National Defence ]

S. War & Peace

Works on philosophical, ethical and moral aspects of war and peace, e.g. Pattison, James,1980- The morality of private war : the challenges of private military and security companies / Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2014. [ S. War & Peace ] or Frowe, Helen. Defensive killing : an essay on war and self-defence / Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2014. [ S. War & Peace ]

Other relevant Science & Miscellaneous shelfmarks include:
S. Cavalry
S. Explosives
S. Fortifications
S. Martial & Military Law
S. Military Life (Gen.)
S. Military Music
S. Military Schools
S. Propaganda
S. Rifles &c.
S. Ships
S. Shooting
S. Spies &c.
S. Submarine
S. Torpedoes &c.

Journals,  eJournals and online resources

The Library holds many periodical titles related to history. Some of these titles are no longer subscribed to, or are defunct, but the Library retains back issues in its collection. Some titles may be online only or kept off-site. Please check the online Catalogue for details of holdings.  The latest issues of periodicals are available for consultation in the Reading Room, with earlier issues bound as volumes and shelved in the basement or off-site, available for loan.

Through the online Catalogue, members can view a range of electronic journals – as well as other electronic publications and databases – in the library or remotely. There is also access to JSTOR, an electronic periodicals archive that allows members to access back-runs of over 750 additional periodical titles.  

The Library possesses a range of materials published by institutions and learned societies. These society publications are shelved in the Societies section in the basement, under the original name of each issuing institute. These include a significant number of county historical and field archaeological journals, many dating back to the mid-19th century. Some examples are:  Journal of the Arms and Armour Society, Society for Army Historical Research and Stand To!

The Library subscribes to a number of important databases which can be searched onsite or remotely. An All resources search on the Library’s Catalogue, will return a wide set of results including book titles, journal articles and database results.  Key resources are British History Online, a digital library of major primary and secondary sources, the British Newspaper Archive, the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and the Illustrated London News.