Gibler (political science, U. of Alabama) has written this two-volume survey of 360 years of military alliances for students and scholars of law, history, politics and military science. The first volume covers the 17th through 19th centuries, and the second concludes with the 2006 Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and Syria and the 2008 Dakar Agreement between Chad and Sudan. Each entry lists the alliance members, date of signing and alliance type (non-aggression pacts, ententes, etc.) before providing a historical background for the agreement, description of terms and the actual text of the alliance agreement. Parties and facilitators are listed when applicable, as are notes on the end of the pact whether it was due to a new agreement, a violation or outright war. Summaries also list alliances by centuries and regions, and plenty of maps are presented to illustrate geographical agreements and treaties as well. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)