“...the work is important because it is the first book-length effort in a century to look seriously at this specific element of U.S. military history and thought. For this reason alone it is of great moment. ... Compact and readable, yet comprehensive, the book is an exceptional achievement and of considerable value to anyone professionaly involved with defense, and to everyone who has grown up in an era in which the term `deterrence' has been prominent, and at times dominant, in the defense vocabulary.”– Proceedings