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The SAS Encyclopedia
By Steve Crawford -reviewed by Chris Wahla
The writing of books about Britain's Special Air Service has become a cottage industry in recent years, with sites on the Internet simply devoted to the large number of books that have been written about the Regiment.

The SAS Encyclopedia, by former British intelligence employee Steve Crawford, bills itself on the cover as "The Definitive Companion to the World's Crack Regiment." It fully lives up to that billing.

This hard cover book, 288 pages in length, covers every aspect of the SAS. From its birth in the deserts of North Africa, through the '50's and '60's, the conflict in Northern Ireland, the Gulf War, and the battles against terrorism and the drug barons, the book gives detail and history that one would have to read dozens of books to find by oneself.

Also covered are weapons, sabotage, insertion techniques, combat survival, and even the types of vehicles used and clothing worn by the SAS teams. One particularly interesting chapter involves the fundamental SAS unit: the four man patrol, and the reasons why its so successful. This book is a "must-have" for any student of special warfare, and many times reads like a novel of heroic warriors, not "just" an encyclopedia.