Book to Note

Kim Coleman, A History of Chemical Warfare. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. xxv + 198 pp. $29.95.

Reviewed by Joel A. Vilensky

A History of Chemical Warfare purports to provide an analysis of the development and deployment of chemical weapons from 700 BCE to the present day. Despite its brevity and focus on the 20th century, the book tells a comprehensive story; but as a writer familiar with the subject, I was disturbed by its errors (e.g., the location of the U.S. lewisite plant in World War I), which bring into question the book’s value as a reference. Nevertheless, Coleman’s treatment of the material uncovers a few lesser-known aspects of chemical weapons history (e.g., a lewisite attack on China by Japan during World War II). For that reason alone anyone who wishes to have a complete library on this subject should buy this book, but a better choice for the casual reader is Jonathan B. Tucker’s War of Nerves (New York: Pantheon Books, 2006), a more thorough and enjoyable book.