This newest addition to Greenwood Press' Historical Guides to the World's Periodicals and Newspapers examines the histories of selected non-classified periodicals, primarily American, that are devoted to military and naval subjects. Criteria for selection included a journal's impact on the armed forces of the United States and on American military thought. Foreign journals, with the exception of the British Army Quarterly and Defence Review and the Soviet Military Review, were chosen for their coverage of international developments and their availability in the United States.

This guide is organized in three main sections. Part one contains detailed profiles of the most prominent military journals. Each journal in this section was chosen for its influence on miliary thought or organizations and/or its length of publication. Each essay discusses the historical milieu, the influence of the issuing body/parent organization and of the editors on the development of the journal, and the publication's impact on the military profession. Following each profile are two sections that outline basic details of the title's publication history and provide locations and sources for further information. Part two provides shorter descriptions of other periodicals, mainly those which have appeared since World War II. Part three is devoted to four titles that were produced in multiple editions. For these, a narrative description, followed by detailed bibliographic information, is provided. The profiles are preceded by an introductory history of U.S. military journals which assesses their place in the development of American military thought and their value for research. This valuable book fills a gap in military historiography. Until now, there has been no book-length examination of these journals which have played an important role in the history of America's armed forces. Military Periodicals will provide essential information for an often neglected area of military arts and science.