Reds Repulsed - Rated 
The end of the First World War may have brought one conflict to an end but it was not the end of conflict in Europe. The break up of the great empires of Russia, Austro-Hungary and Germany themselves gave rise to further lesser known but regionally significant conflicts through many parts of Europe. The emergence of an independent Poland may have been blessed by the victorious allies but the Poles had to fight hard to stop their independence being short lived. Adam Zamoyski has written a short but compelling book about the Bolshevik invasion of Poland and their ultimate defeat. Whilst focusing on the dramatic ebb and flow of military operations the war is placed in context and the the sometimes bitter internal contests in each camp are well brought out. Sadly victory proved phyrric for the Poles and in 1939 Stalin took his revenge.
OK but not great - Rated
Warsaw 1920 is an easily available book on an important topic. As an introductory narrative it's OK. There's little exploration of major themes, the presumptions behind what analysis there is are unexplored. Quite why (other than a 'miracle') the Poles reversed their early defeats remains unexplained. The wider context of the Russian Civil War isn't really integrated. The pro-Polish bias grates after a while.
Much richer, if you can still get it, is Norman Davies' 'White Eagle, Red Star'. Plenty wrong with that as well, but it provides a deeper exploration that makes it useful even if you don't share Davies' viewpoint.
A Superbly Concise Description of this Important Campaign - Rated 
This is a superbly written little book that provides a concise history of the 1920 campaign that resulted in the defeat of Soviet forces by the newly formed Polish Army. Books describing military campaigns can often be tedious but Zamoyski overcomes this by writing with such elan that you find yourself rushing through the book. Thumbnail sketches are provided of the main protagonists including Pilsudski, Sikorski, and the Russians Tukhachevsky and Budionny as well as many other players including a young, and insubordinate political officer, Stalin. Other, more detailed tomes are available, (Norman Davies, 'White Eagle Red Star', 1972) but for the reader who is seeking a brief description of this most important of battles Zamoyski has done an excellent job. A number of good black and white photographs and campaign maps are provided in the text.
Please read more history books - Rated
I could not help but become incensed when I read Y. Mann's review of this book above. I suggest Mr. Y. Mann of NY that you go and read some more books on Eastern Europe and Poland from the 17th, 18th, 19th centuries, pre-world war I and WW2. You can start with God's Playground by Norman Davies and amongst others continue to For Your Freedom and Ours by Olson and Cloud. Quote "The idea here, apparently, is that it is OK for the Poles to take lands that belonged to them over a century ago before Poland was partitioned" well then according to you the very creation of a free Polish state was wrong. The Poles had offered the Whites help against the Bolsheviks in an agreement of a free Poland but the Whites refused to acknowledge that a Poland even existed, the same was true of the Bolsheviks, and it would be foolish to think that Communism would just sit by and allow a free state to exist right under their noses, such as 1939 and the Nazi-Soviet Pact. Quote " Bottom line is that the Red Army responded to a Polish threat. If there was no Polish threat there is no evidence one can point to which would undoubtedly show that the Red Army would have been used to spread the Revolution, especially considering the position Russia/Soviet Union found itself in after a bloody civil war.", the Red Army was well lead and organised for that period of time, just having beaten the Whites, what Poland did was pre-empt an attack that would no doubt be coming, the fact is a free Poland was always a threat to Communism I quote Stalin "Poland is about as suitable for communism as trying to put a saddle on a donkey". If you read Polish history Poland prides itself on being a country that never invaded and oppressed its neighbours, only a hardened Communist would believe that Bolshevism was liberation. The Polish invasion did not help the Bolshevik cause, Poland ensured freedom for the region for the next 20 years. Quote "their 'armies' at times were the furthest thing from what we picture in our minds as 'armies'" what did you depict any WW1 army to look like? WW1 western front was mainly fought by trench and artillery, on the eastern front a mixture heavily based on cavalry, the west and eastern fronts were just as motley as each other, I suggest more reading on this subject also. Only a communist can believe that Poland was the aggressor in this war, Poland has been fighting defensive conflicts in the interest of independence and "the Golden liberty" that was Poland from oppressors for centuries, again please read more about this subject...
Short and to the point - Rated 
Having recently reread Norman Davies' account of the Polish Soviet war I was pleased to see that this book had been released. It is not the book that Davies' is, and does not really offer anything new, and Zamoyski more or less concedes this point himself. He has set out to offer an accessible and readable account of this overlooked and important conflict, which still echoes through those countries today. This he has achieved. If the book feels unsatifyingly short, it is probably only to Eastern Europe bores such as myself. To people coming fresh to the subject and the region it a quick and informative read which i would recommend.
Zamoyski is to be commended for bringing his status, hard won from fuller tomes on more popular subjects, to bear on this fascinating 'brawl', its origins, myths,conduct and consequences.
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