The Hundred Days (Aubrey/Maturin Series)

Amazon.com

The year is 1815, and Europe's most unpopular (not to mention tiniest) empire-builder has escaped from Elba. In The Hundred Days, it's up to Jack Aubrey--and surgeon-cum-spymaster Stephen Maturin--to stop Napoleon in his tracks. How? For starters, Aubrey and his squadron have been dispatched to the Adriatic coast, to keep Bonapartist shipbuilders from beefing up the French navy. Meanwhile, one Sheik Ibn Hazm is fomenting an Islamic uprising against the Allies. The only way to halt this maneuver is to intercept the sheik's shipment of gold--because in the Napoleonic era, as in our own, even the most ardent of mercenaries requires a salary.

The Hundred Days is the 19th (and, we are told, the penultimate) installment of O'Brian's epic. Like many of its predecessors, it features a fairly swashbuckling plot, complete with cannon fire, exotic disguises, and Aubrey's suspenseful, slow-motion pursuit of an Algerian xebek. Yet it never turns into a mere exercise in Hornblowerism. Partly this is due to O'Brian's delicate touch with character--the relationship between extroverted Aubrey and introverted Maturin has deepened with each book, and even Aubrey's reunion with his childhood companion Queenie Keith is full of novelistic nuance: "They sat smiling at one another. An odd pair: handsome creatures both, but they might have been of the same sex or neither." Nor does the author focus too exclusively on his dynamic duo. Indeed, The Hundred Days is very much a chronicle of a floating community, which Maturin describes as "his own village, his own ship's company, that complex entity so much more easily sensed than described: part of his natural habitat."

Finally, O'Brian shows his usual expertise in balancing the great events with the most minuscule ones. Other authors have written about battles at sea, and still others have recorded the rapid rise and fall of Napoleon's fortunes after his escape from confinement. But who else would give equal time--and an equal charge of delight--to Maturin's discovery of an anomalous nuthatch? --James Marcus

Amazon.com Audiobook Review

In this, actor Robert Hardy's fourth reading from Patrick O'Brian's celebrated historical novels, series heroes Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin are in very different circumstances from when we first meet them. In Master and Commander, the first of the series, Aubrey is young and full of himself, and through Hardy's performance we can practically hear Aubrey's puffed-out chest. But in The Hundred Days, Aubrey is a commodore, famous throughout the British Empire for his naval exploits, and Hardy reflects the confidence that comes with those accomplishments. Meanwhile, his best friend, surgeon-spy Stephen Maturin, is wasting away as the audiocassette opens, in deep mourning for his recently deceased wife. But soon enough, both are pulled into great adventure again--in this case, Napoleon's final campaign--and the fate of the Empire rests on their ability to stop the fitting out of a new French fleet and to keep a shipment of gold from reaching a mercenary army. (Running time: three hours, two cassettes) --Lou Schuler

Book Description

Napoleon, escaped from Elba, pursues his enemies across Europe like a vengeful phoenix. If he can corner the British and Prussians before their Russian and Austrian allies arrive, his genius will lead the French armies to triumph at Waterloo. In the Balkans, preparing a thrust northwards into Central Europe to block the Russians and Austrians, a horde of Muslim mercenaries is gathering. They are inclined toward Napoleon because of his conversion to Islam during the Egyptian campaign, but they will not move without a shipment of gold ingots from Sheik Ibn Hazm which, according to British intelligence, is on its way via camel caravan to the coast of North Africa. It is this gold that Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin must at all costs intercept. The fate of Europe hinges on their desperate mission.

Customer Reviews:

Great reader; poor editing of material........2007-02-20

We made the mistake of buying this ABRIDGED version of The Hundred Days, not noticing the FINE PRINT. The reader was very good, but the material truncated, choppy, and not "up to snuff." If you are a devoted fan of the Aubrey-Maturin stories, hurry up and read, yes, read the book. There's not a moment to lose!

The Hundred Days.......2007-01-18

Overhelming view of England day to day life during the last months of Napoleon power.

spoilers here; but DONT read other reviews if you haven't read this book.......2006-11-23

I have criticisms of many of the reviews here. Reviewers, type 'spoiler' for gosh sake. Have some decency; presumably review perveyors haven't read the damn thing. Anyway, to answer a few:
Dianna's death was absolutely necessary. Cripes, it sets up the next novel. You can see her death coming books ago.
I too have a problem with Bonden's death; I guess he felt the character tragic, and it was time to die. I think it was a stupid move. Bonden has as much right as Killick to continue on.
I think from some researching that O'Brian WAS ill through much of this book. However, it is still eminently endorsable.
The last two chapters I thought are very well done (O'Brian finishes a book better than anyone). And Jacob is a great character.

Masterfully Told Adventure.......2005-01-22

Patrick O'Brian's capacity to carry off nineteen installments in the Aubrey/Maturin series is nothing short of astonishing. There is no faulting O'Brian's ability to craft a richly detailed and captivating tale combined seamlessly with subtle plot twists and turns. The Napoleonic wars and the escape of Napoleon from Elba provide the backdrop to this incredible tale filled with action and political intrigue that completely captives the reader.

The personalities of the families, friends, and enemies left ashore by Aubrey and Mautrin permeate their lives at sea. If not considered in this light, the death of Mautrin's wife, Diana, would be a meaningless detail. This is also what allows the reader to become intimate with Aubrey and Mautrin, almost as if they are old friends. O'Brian is never callow or derivative. You should not expect these sea-going tales to be filled with swashbuckling adventure of which the singular point is action.

This nineteenth installment takes you across the Mediterranean and the Adriatic, and into combat against the French navy. It also takes you ashore into North Africa to intercept caravans carrying gold. This gold is intended for Muslin mercenaries who are disposed to support Napoleon. This is an outstanding installment to the series and most definitely can stand on its own.

Wonderful, but not as.......2005-01-08

I very much admire Partick O'brien's style and books, and I cannot say that this is even a mediocre book, but it is below his rest, merely for reasons of the plot. It is rather a shock to discover, in the first few pages, that Stephen's beloved Diana has died. At first I was annoyed that we heard about it from a complete stranger, but then I realized that it was really kinder than being with Stephen when he learned of it. I was and am still frusterated with Bonden's curt death, but in the next book there is somewhat of a recompense. As I said, a good book, one worth reading, but not as spectacular as the others in the series.

Swords Around a Throne: Napoleon's Grand Armee

Average customer rating:

Not the typical Napoleon biography
Generalization
Informative and Interesting
Entertaining and informative
If you read one book on Napoleon this must be it!

Swords Around a Throne: Napoleon's Grand Armee
John R. Elting
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0029095018

Customer Reviews:

Not the typical Napoleon biography.......2006-02-25

Swords Around a Throne is not your typical Napoleon book. Elting concentrates on topics which MAY rate a sentence or paragraph in other biographies. Elting concentrates on the different divisions of the Grand Armée including uniforms, in-depth looks at his marshals and the navy instead of regurgitating the different battles he fought. Swords Around a Throne is a good change of pace to the other biographies of Napoleon as it provides a different aspect to the Napoleonic Wars and his empire. Well worth the time to read.

Generalization.......2006-02-01

The problem with thick books that try to capture large subjects is that they must generalize and leave out a lot of data, and here there is no difference. If you are looking of a general overview of the Grande Armee during more then two decades of the French First Republic and Empire, this book will inform. However it is not meant to provide or be a definitive statement on any of the topics discussed in the chapters. Its a guide, rather then a scholarly work. This is particularly true where armies other then French are discussed, or where equal space has been given to its largest corps, the Infantry or Cavalry.
Other works dealing with specific areas should be consulted after readin this work.

Informative and Interesting.......2005-11-23

This is an excellent book, both informative and interesting. Even while discussing rather dry topics, the author manages to work in humourous anecdotes or observations.

It is important to understand that this book is not a narrative history of Napoleon's campaigns--rather, it is broken down into chapters which describe various aspects of Napoleon's army--the guard, foreign units, allied units, supply organization, cavalry, artillery, and many many others; for each chapter/topic, the author describes the pre-Napoleonic context, as well as developments under Napoleon.

Entertaining and informative.......2005-07-19

Col. Elting's inimitable writing style is sorely missed. Unfortunately, he died a few years ago (which several reviewers will be saddened to learn). He wrote with such lively humor and energy, that he always entertained while he informed. Does the book contain a few flaws? Sure it does, and they have been mentioned in the other reviews. The author's approach, strictly speaking, is not what would be described as "scholarly." Elting is a bit of a francophile, but perhaps acts as counterbalance to the anglophilia that dominates most English-language work on the Napoleonic period. (Owen Connelly, another American, is one of the most objective writers covering the period). Overall, Swords Around A Throne surpasses most other studies of the "Grande Armee" if only by merit of Elting's irreplaceble prose.

If you read one book on Napoleon this must be it!.......2003-11-09

'One quick blow and the wars over' with these words Napoleon led his army from the banks of the English Channel towards Austria, towards a small town named Austerlitz.

This book is quite simply the best and more detailed thorough account of Napoleon and his grand army. It details such notables as General Ney, who fought Wellington in Spain and was latter suspected of treason by Napoleon. It details the invasion the russia, the 'napoleon at bay' campaigns of 1814 and the final showdown at waterloo. Great biogrpaical sketches are made of all Napoleons commanders and their various campaigns. Simply an excellent lucid account.

Average customer rating:

An Intellectual History of the Napoleonic Wars

Tosh

"No one likes armed missionaries"

An interesting but flawed thesis

The First Total War: Napoleon's Europe and the Birth of Warfare as We Know It
David A. Bell
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The War of Wars: The Great European Conflict 1793 - 1815

The End of the Old Order: Napoleon and Europe, 1801-1805 (Napoleon and Europe)

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ASIN: 0618349650

Book Description

World War I has been called "the war to end all wars", the first time combatants were mobilized on a massive scale to ruthlessly destroy an enemy. But as David Bell argues in this tour de force of interpretive history, the Great War was not, in fact, the first total war. For this, we need to travel back to the era of muskets and sailing ships, to the age of Napoleon. According to Bell, it was then that warfare was transformed into the hideous spectacle that seems ever present today. Indeed, nearly every modern aspect of war took root in that time: conscription, unconditional surrender, total disregard for the rules of combat, mobilization of civilians, guerrilla warfare, and the perverse notion of war fought for the sake of peace. The revolutionaries were leading "the last crusade for universal liberty." A war for such stakes could only be apocalyptic - and terribly bloody. With a historian's keen insight and a journalist's flair for detail, Bell brings this period to life while keeping an eye on our own "war of liberation" in Iraq. The parallels are astonishing, making this vivid narrative history as timely and important as it is unforgettable.

Customer Reviews:

An Intellectual History of the Napoleonic Wars.......2007-02-28

We have grown accustomed to viewing the World Wars of the 20th century as the first total wars in modern history, for they required the total mobilization and militarization of the societies involved. Their accompanying ideologies, fascism and communism, were appropriately called totalitarian since they left no aspect of society unaffected. Now historian David A Bell has written a new and different history of the Napoleonic Wars (1792 - 1815) arguing that they were in fact the first total wars.

In his introduction, Bell tells us that he is borrowing techniques from intellectual history to write a military history. Traditionally military historians have restricted themselves to accounts of battlefield tactics and weapon systems. Bell is attempting to go further in showing that the ideals of the Enlightenment played a role in what he calls the first total war. He believes that the French Revolution - the apotheosis of the Enlightenment - radicalized people's ideas about how and why wars should be fought.

During the time of the ancien regime - which is Bell's main standard of comparison - wars were limited and short-lived. They were fought according to established rules and usually to defend the honor of this or that aristocrat; in fact, many times the armies were made up of mercenaries. The philosophes of the Enlightenment such as Kant, Diderot, d'Alembert, and the Marquis de Condorcet were certain that with the advent of reason wars would be a thing of the past. As late as 1790 Robespierre was declaring in the Assembly that the French nation had no desire to engage in war, that to invade another country and make it adopt their laws and constitution was the furthest thing from their minds.

Much changed in two years. By 1792 there was growing opposition to the revolutionary government in Paris, especially in Vendee. The government decided to put down this rebellion with a degree of brutality not seen before. They conducted a scorched-earth policy that spared no one. They made no distinction between combattants and non-combattants. The dogs of war had been unleashed to save the revolution and to obliterate any dissent.

Bell explores the nature of total war and how it feeds on itself. Once the military becomes front and center of the government, war becomes unstoppable. All of the nations resources and efforts went to the Grand Armee to create an empire in places as far as Egypt and Russia.

In his retelling of the Spanish campaign, Bell attempts to draw a parallel with America's intervention in Iraq. To an extent there are some parallels. Napoleon claimed to be bringing Enlightenment ideals and reform to Spain, yet the insurgency would have none of it. This, however, is a distraction from Bell's thesis; whatever else it is doing in Iraq, America is not conducting a total war. This is a very restrained and cautious use of military power. In fact, Napoleon's excursion into Spain was somewhat cautious to be called total war.

When contrasted with what transpired in the preceding century and what the philosophes predicted, the Napoleonic Wars were barbaric and total, but it is still not clear how they were different from, say, the Mongol invasions of the Middle Ages or the military expeditions of Alexander the Great. Its seems that the so-called total wars of Napoleon have been done before. The total mobilization of people and resources is as old as human history. Mutual and absolute hatred for the enemy is a timeless emotion. Bell's argument that hell hath no fury like a citzen's army is reminiscent of Victor Davis Hanson's thesis in Carnage and Culture, and it is as unconvincing.

Bell's book provides much food for thought on how quickly circumstances can change from permanent peace to permanent war without pinpointing exactly what triggers the change. Paranoia, perceived threat,and survival are all factors in the devolution of high ideals to base hostility. And why armies of citizens driven by Enlightenment ideals fight more effectively than previous armies is still unanswered. However, Bell makes a robust effort with this original work.

Tosh.......2007-02-05

David A. Bell operates by trying to sneak ridiculous analogies past his readers, then treating them as true by definition. And what a convincing conclusion: dreaming of peace causes modern wars; if we all just accepted the necessity of war, then we'd be better off.

"No one likes armed missionaries".......2007-01-21

There is a hilarious and biting excerpt from Bell's analysis of the French Revolution. During one of the debates in the Assembly, it was suggested that if the French armies were to invade their neighbours, overthrow the benighted royalist regimes, and offer the glories of representative democracy, then the peoples of those countries would greet the French with gratitude. Bell recounts that Maximilian Robespierre gave a cynical but accurate rejoinder, "No one likes armed missionaries". Bell suggests that Robespierre showed better understanding of practical sociology than some current leaders. Though the latter were left unspecified, he was clearly referring to George Bush and the liberation of Iraq. For some reason, the Iraqis don't seem very grateful to Americans!

An interesting but flawed thesis.......2007-01-06

David Bell has written an interesting but somewhat flawed book which states that the Napoleonic Wars was the first total war in European history. According to Bell the intellectual origins of the Napoleanic wars occurred with the writings of elightenment philosophers who wanted to go back to the Classical period in which all the citizens of the republic were part of the army. This theory about the armed republic became reality during the French revolution in which mass conscription took place. As a result of the Napoleonic wars, accroding to Bell, aristocrats soon lost their place with the French army and later in the nineteenth century with other Eurpean armies. As a result classes that taught aristcratic values for army officers were soon replaced by those that stressed technical skills. Also every citizen was judged a combatant and this led to massacres committed by French forces during the Vendee and in Spain and Italy. The are two main weaknesses in Bell's case that the Napoleonic Wars was the first truly modern war in history. The first is Bell's belief that aristocrats and royals were eliminated from the army but this was not the case with the German army in the First World War which included the Bavarian Prince Ruppert as a commander of the main German armies and the Tsarist army of the same time period who had Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich and Tsar Nicholas II as head of the army. Also the Napoleonic wars as being a precursor to the atrocities committed during the two world wars seems to be flawed in that the genocides that occurred in the first half of the twentieth century were based on the physical elimination of class and ethinc groups unlike the massacres in Spain,France, and Italy in the early nineteenth century. Despite these major flaws this book is still an interesting book to read.

The War of Wars: The Great European Conflict 1793 - 1815

Average customer rating:

The War of Wars is a fine general history of the RevolutionaryWars of Napoleonic France
An Excellent Overview
History writing at its worst.
Can I get my money back?
War of Wars

The War of Wars: The Great European Conflict 1793 - 1815
Robert Harvey
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0786718579

Book Description

At the turn of the 18th century the greatest nations in Europe, separated by only 21 miles of water, offered history two distinct ideals that would shape the new century: England was a democratic, constitutional monarchy; while France had suffered the cataclysm of Revolution which ripped the absolute King from the throne and replaced him with the Mob. Out of this emerged, Napoleon Bonaparte, commander of the revolutionary army, who would conquer Italy and Egypt before returning to Paris to proclaim himself Emperor. As Napoleon gained power in France, the world stood on the brink of total war.

By 1805 the General Napoleon was making plans to cross the channel and invade England. The subsequent drama reaches from the frozen plains surrounding Moscow to the Caribbean waters, from the debating chamber of the Parliament to the muddy fields of Waterloo. The Great French Wars (1793-1815) can truly be called the first global war; and also the first conflict driven by industrial might. Mostly, it was a battle between commanders that history will never forget; as Napoleon's revolutionary guard ravaged Europe, men like the Duke of Wellington, Horatio Nelson, and their allies, stopped Napoleon's complete domination of the continent.

Customer Reviews:

The War of Wars is a fine general history of the RevolutionaryWars of Napoleonic France.......2007-10-01

Historian Robert Harvey has crafted an excellent popularly written history of the violent Revolutionary Wars which devastated Europe from 1793 to the fall of Napoleon at Watereloo in 1815. Harvey's style is easy to read, anecdotal and filled with insights on this turbulent time in European history.
Harvey begins his long tome of over 800 close printed pages by examining the French Revolutiony of 1789. He emphasizes that the horrific wars between France and her enemies Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia and Spain had already begun before the Corsican corporal Napoleon Bnaparte emerged followin his military victory at the siege of Toulon.
Napoleon (1769-1821) was born in Corscia, attended a military academy in France and was cruelly ambitious. He seized power from the Directory in 1799 became a military dictator. To survive the crafty and crude Napoleon knew he would have to wage perpetual war to retain power. Harvey concludes that Napoleon was a great general but a terrible politician. The emperor won great victories in Northern Italy, Austerlitz, Marengo and other battles. His two tragic mistakes which cost him his crown was the launching of the disastrous Penisular war versus Spain 1808-1812 and the destruction of a large army in the snows of Russia. Napoleon's earlier campaign in Egypt was also a military disaster. Napoleon was corrupt and a nepotist who gave his large family rulership over much of continental Europe. He was a libertine who had many affairs and two wives: Josephine and Maria Louisa of Austria. His Polish lover Marie
Waleska had an illegitmate child by the amorous ruler. Napoleon was an atheist and a monster who was responsible for the deaths of millions of people. It was during his reign that total war came to Europe. Massive battles were waged foreshadowing the horrors of the trenches of World War I and the tragedy of the horrendous World War II which saw 60 million deaths the majority of which were of civilians.
Harvey is excellent in describing the naval exploits of such great sailors as Admiral Lord Nelson. His descriptions of the sea battles of Trafalagar, the Glorious First of June, Cophenhagen and other actions is fascinating reading. Harvey also is superb in describing naval warfare in the age of sail. He describes well the lives of the typical tar in the British and French navies.
The book contains adequate maps of the major battles, contains several typos and is well researched. If you want to read a good one volume history of the era this is the book for you. Recommended.

An Excellent Overview .......2007-04-21

Mr. Harvey's book is a 700+ page summary of the conflict generally known as the "Napoleonic Wars", although, as he points out, the fighting started long before Napoleon came to power. It is highly readable and very interesting. The writing was a little uneven. Some chapters were great, some were merely very good. Being neither an editor nor a teacher, I was not troubled by the minor editing errors that seem to have totally destroyed other reviewers enjoyment of this excellent book. Buy it, read it. You will not be disappointed.

History writing at its worst........2007-04-07

I can't think of the last book I've read that was so clumsily written, sloppily edited and poorly fact-checked. Popular history should at least strive to be readable; this book is unbearable.

Can I get my money back?.......2007-03-20

Well, I was all set to dig into this "new" history of the "war of wars," but something caught my eye early on -- sloppy editing. For instance, on p. 23 we read "The wily Robespierre brilliant exploited their dilemma." As I've often remarked on student papers, "Is that a sentence?" Then, on p. 39, the third paragraph begins, "The Incobins." Obviously the author meant Jacobins, but where was the editor on that one? Sorry, but to slog through another 700+ pages of that kind of editing is troublesome. To the author's credit, he has attempted a monumental task, and it is a book that needs to be written. But when I read (p. 45): "The Jacobins left only their memory -- egalitarianism, revolutionary terror, escalating mass purges -- to inspire future generations of murderous revolutionaries, particularly Communists in Russia, China, Kampuchea, and elsewhere," well, that's when I closed the book and realized that what I had been reading was little more than undisguised polemic. It's probably history as well but there are better books out there.

War of Wars.......2007-03-15

Excellent book and the narrative was most interesting and easy to follow.

The End of the Old Order: Napoleon And Europe, 1801-1805 (Napoleon and Europe)

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Simply Amazing
the end of the old order: Napoleon and Europe
Diplomacy and War like Chess
The Myth of the Corsican Ogre...
An interesting thesis

The End of the Old Order: Napoleon And Europe, 1801-1805 (Napoleon and Europe)
Frederick W. Kagan
Manufacturer: Perseus Books Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0306811375

Book Description

From a leading scholar of history and military policy, a monumental account and brilliant new analysis of the Napoleonic era in Europe and the revealing interaction of continental politics and war shaping our modern world

Perhaps no person in history has dominated his or her own era as much as Napoleon. Despite his small physical stature, the shadow of Napoleon is cast like a colossus, compelling all who would look at that epoch to chart their course by reference to him. For this reason, most historical accounts of the Napoleonic era-and there are many-tell the same Napoleon-dominated story over and over again, or focus narrowly on special aspects of it.

Frederick Kagan, distinguished historian and military policy expert, has tapped hitherto unused archival materials from Austria, Prussia, France, and Russia, to present the history of these years from the balanced perspective of all of the major players of Europe. In The End of the Old Order readers encounter the rulers, ministers, citizens, and subjects of Europe in all of their political and military activity-from the desk of the prime minister to the pen of the ambassador, from the map of the general to the rifle of the soldier. With clear and lively prose, Kagan guides the reader deftly through the intriguing and complex web of international politics and war.

The End of the Old Order is the first volume in a new and comprehensive four-volume study of Napoleon and Europe. Each volume in the series will surprise readers with a dramatically different tapestry of early nineteenth-century personalities and events and will revise fundamentally our ages-old understanding of the wars that created modern Europe.

Customer Reviews:

Simply Amazing.......2006-12-14

This book is an excellent start to a four part series (other three are unpublished at this time) that delivers pure diplomatic history. This is expert analysis of how the diplomatic machine of Europe brought about an end to stability and peace with the collapse of the old order. Napoleon's designs on Europe are clearly seen and this book takes you through Austerlitz and the start of the Napoleonic Empire. Although Napoleon declares himself Empire it is not truly established until Austerlitz leaving him in control of much of Europe. This book written in fantastic prose clearly outlines how Europe got to that stage. This is a must have for any Napoleonic library and I eagerly await the continuation of this series. Easily five stars and deserves more.

the end of the old order: Napoleon and Europe.......2006-11-10

I love this book very well written only took me 2 days to read it .

Diplomacy and War like Chess.......2006-10-14

In this volume(and the 3 that will follow) Kagan sets out to write a military/diplomatic history of the Napoleonic period.The first 200 pages give an overview of how the war of the First Coalition came about. Then there are some 100 pages devoted to the french and allied war plans and the rest of the book covers the war itself.This is a work of explanation and interpretation and the focus is on the diplomats and generals who made the important decisions.There is no spotlight on the idiosyncracies of individuals perse ,but only if it is important to explain some decision taken by that person. Likewise the descriptions of battles are explanatory. There is no blood and guts. All in all it is a bit like a game of chess and the best explanatory book i have read about Napoleonic Europe. The author, in contrast to most other books about this time, devotes an equal amount of space to the French and the Allies and is evenhanded in the condemnation or praise he bestows on the belligerents.It is simply not true as an other reviewer has it that this is the old Napoleon as Ogre story all over again.Knowing the author's very rightleaning political views i indeed started reading this book with some trepidation, but was pleasantly suprised that Kagan did'nt let those views cloud his judgement.Repeatedly Kagan stresses that it was'nt Napoleon who wanted this war but Tsar Alexander. Of course you can take exception with the author's interpretation of motives and events but that applies to every thesis. At least Kagan does't parrot every other author and his analysis is based on thorough archival investigation. This is not a book for the novice but if you want to know the ins and outs of Napoleonic Europe, have an analytical bend and value clear and uncluttered prose this is the book for you. Highly recommended. Hats of for Frederick Kagan and counting down to the next volume.

The Myth of the Corsican Ogre..........2006-10-06

This volume, while interesting in places, is neither brilliant nor monumental, except for its length.

What the author does do, however, is raise once again the old anti-Napoleonic propaganda from the period referring to Napoleon as a criminal, megalomaniac, tyrant, and generally repeating well-worn material of the old 'Corsican Ogre' school of thought. At the same time a completely inaccurate picture of Tsar Alexander is presented giving the patricidal monarch much more credit than he is due. This completely ignores accurate scholarship on Napoleon that has been completed since 1970.

Looking at the bibliography, it is evident what the inaccurate portrayal of Napoleon is based on. The only modern biography of Napoleon listed in the execrable volume by Alan Schom, which is fit only for a doorstop. None of the credible biogrpahies of Napoleon are referenced, such as the work of Englund, Cronin, or Ludwig. This is a shame, because presenting Napoleon inaccurately as a man and a head of state, colors the entire volume and makes it an unreliable resource.

The characterization of Napoleon in this volume is as inaccurate as the comparison presented on the organization of the Grande Armee and the allied armies. From 1800 onwards the corps d'armee was a permanent organization in the French service. That was not so with the allied armies, and equating the two systems in 1805 is incorrect. The allies lagged behind in tactics, organization, and staff organization and functioning in 1805 and didn't seriously start to reform until after the 1807 campaign.

The first danger signal in this volume is the overuse of the term 'myth.' What is evident in the volume is that a strawman has been created in order to make a point, which isn't in France's or Napoleon's favor. And the point(s) made is/are incorrect to a large degree. Much of the work in the volume on the diplomatic/political maneuverings from 1801-1805 is very good, but the military aspect is poor. Frankly, the author contradicts himself often regarding Napoleon's performance and motives.

What is entirely neglected that it wasn't merely France and Napoleon that were aggressive empires, but the same holds true for Great Britain, Russia, Austria, and Prussia. Looking at the results of the Congress of Vienna in 1814-1815 is a very good example. While Tsar Alexander is painted as a monarch who was working for the peace of Europe, what is neglected is that he waged wars against Turkey and in the Baltic during the period that were anything but peaceful and defensive. And while excuses are given for Alexander regarding the murder of his father, Napoleon is taken to task for the trial and execution of the Duc d'Enghien and what is neglected completely is the assassination attempt against Napoleon early in the Consulate when the bomb just missed destroying his carriage on the way to the opera in December 1800. That was at least financed by the British and was openly supported by the Bourbons. Finally the influence that British merchants might have had in the assassination of Tsar Paul, Alexander's father isn't mentioned.

In the book's introduction the author has stated that seven years were devoted to the research and writing of this volume. It was not time well-spent.

In short, this volume is a disappointment and in this reviewer's opinion does not add to the literature of the period. The analogies used regarding World War II and recent US operations in the Middle East to not enhance the volume and apparently the author doesn't understand either Napoleon's command system or the purpose and operation of the corps d'armee system implemented by Napoleon in 1800.

This volume is a great opportunity missed and this book is not recommended as a source. Frederick Schneid's Napoleon's Conquest of Europe: The War of the Third Coalition is a much better work, concise, accurate, and better written.

An interesting thesis.......2006-09-06

According to Frederick Kagan it was the mistakes made by European nations and not Napoleon's brilliance that lead to France dominating Europe in the first decade of the nineteenth century. First according to Kagan distrust among Britain, Prussia, Austria, and Russia made them form an alliance too late, and in Prussia's case to opt out until the very last moment. Kagan is especially critical of Tsar Alexander I for alienating potential allies by his overly idealistic version of postwar Europe in which both Prussia and Austria would have diminished power in exchange for greater influence of the smaller states in Central Europe. Kagan is also critical of the Austrian leadership for putting too many soldiers in Italy instead of Germany and at General Mack for not retreating from his overextended forces from Ulm. Also Archduke Charles failed to move sufficient forces from Italy to help Mack in Germany. Kagan is especially harsh on Tsar Alexander I for overextending his forces in Italy, around Prussia, and the Balkans, while failing to concentrate them in southern Germany in order to cooperate better with the Austrians. Finally Tsar Alexander I ordered Kutuzov to on the offensive prematurely before the disasterous Austro-Russian defeat at Austerlitz. Although I strongly disagree with Frederick Kagan's personal politics, he does write excellent military history.

Napoleon and Austerlitz: An Unprecedentedly Detailed Combat Study of Napoleon's Epic Ulm-Austerlitz Campaigns of 1805 (Armies of the Napoleonic Wars Research Series)

Average customer rating:

Napoleon and Austerlitz: An Unprecedentedly Detailed Combat Study of Napoleon's Epic Ulm-Austerlitz Campaign of 1805
Best English language study of Napoleon and Austerlitz
Fine book.
Interesting reading with a strong bias against Russians
Poorly researched

Napoleon and Austerlitz: An Unprecedentedly Detailed Combat Study of Napoleon's Epic Ulm-Austerlitz Campaigns of 1805 (Armies of the Napoleonic Wars Research Series)
Scott Bowden
Manufacturer: Emperor's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Czech Republic | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0962665576

Customer Reviews:

Napoleon and Austerlitz: An Unprecedentedly Detailed Combat Study of Napoleon's Epic Ulm-Austerlitz Campaign of 1805.......2007-01-19

The best Napoleonic book that I have read in years! Scott Bowden has done it again. He has provided the serious Napoleonic student with one of the best books on strategic and tactical history of perhaps Napoleon's great campaign. I recommend this book to all interested in Napoleonic history. I must have!

Best English language study of Napoleon and Austerlitz.......2003-04-30

Having read everything I can on Napoleon's 1805 Ulm-Austerlitz campaigns, I have to rank this work as the best. The details about the organization and tactics of the armies, combined with the specifics of the Ulm and the Austerlitz campaigns which include the very detailed tactical description of the fighting (especially the combats around Ulm) simply cannot be found anywhere else. What's more, the text is complimented by a great number of maps and artwork, making the layout what I wish every military history book looked like. It is a splendid work that deserves inclusion in any Napoleonic library.

Oh, yes...a word about some of the "hit reviews" previously posted. I, too, have a copy of Sutterheim's 1807 English TRANSLATED piece on Austerlitz, and Scott Bowden is absolutely correct in his citation. Also, I had an opportunity to hear the author when he spoke in Hawai'i in 2002, and one of those talks included, in part, a detailed presentation on Napoleon. In that presentation, I saw a lot of the archival documents used by the author in putting together NAPOLEON AND AUSTERLITZ---documents that others making "hit reviews" say he never possessed. That speaks volumes about the credibility of those who posted those remarks.

Fine book........2001-07-17

Bowden's Austerlitz is a fine book and I recommed it to everyone. Although author is rather anti-Russian his book is very good. After all he titled it "Napoleon and Austerlitz" and not "Tsar Alexander and Austerlitz". Right ?

The amount of information is breath-taking, the maps are excellent and extremaly detailed showing even the positions of individual battalions and squadrons. This is hard to find in other books where one see only very general positions of troops, and only positions of armies and corps and divisions.

The amount of illustrations and their quality is fascinating !

Interesting reading with a strong bias against Russians.......2001-07-05

When I read on page 101 a capton "Ochakov - another Suvorov's victory" I thought for a moment that it was a little mistake that could be found even at best-researched books. Suvorov was present at the siege of the fortress under command of prince Potyomkin, but did not take part in the final storm of Ochakov in December 1788 being severely wounded in a Turkish sortie. Author defenitely mistook the storm of Ochakov with the storm of another strong Turkish fortress - Izmail, which was a really great Suvorov's victory. But as read the book more I understood that it was not a chance mistake, because Mr.Bowden demonstrated a lack of knowledge of Russian military history, and a lot of false statements proved it. Just one example - he stated, that Emperor Paul disbanded all jager units of the Russian Army and there remained only several companies. It's just not true, because in 1797 Paul reorganised ten jager corps he inherited from the Catherine the Great (each corps consisted of four battalions) into twenty small regiments. When explaining the reason for ferocity of Russian soldiers Mr.Bowden says it was the heritage of wars with Turkey and "take-no-prisoners" nature of that wars. False statement again - there were excessions in wars of XVII - early XVIII centures, but in later conflicts (wars of 1768-74 and 1787-91) excessins were rare. One example - many Turks, taken prisoner in the 1787-91 war, served at Russian galleys at the Baltic and were decorated for the bravery in actions against Sweden. And only as bad-tasted jokes can be described stories of Inspector of Russian artillery Arakcheev with his hands cutting heads of his unfortunate officers, burying them alive etc. Such anecdotes were very good for XVIII centure propaganda, but in a XXI century historic research they look rather misplaced. Generally speaking, Mr.Bowden gives his readers a picture in the "French heroes against Russian hordes" style. Historians can have their preferences, but solid works shoud not be such one-sided. Author preferred to forget (or may be ignorant of) that in 1799 Russian Army soundly defeated French armies in Italy. In that campaign with great distinction fought the same regiments that fought in 1805 - Apsheron, Butyrsk, Ryazan, Novgorod musketeers, and much maligned by Bowden Russian jagers outfought French infantry in every aspect. I'd like to ask Mr.Bowden a question - if the Russian Army was so bad as he described, how come that just in a year when Russians and French met on the battlefield again, just the same French Army after several months of bitter fighting failed to produce another Austerlitz and had a victory only after a fatal blunder by Russian C-in-C, Hanoverian mercenary Bennigsen at Friedland? "General Winter" again? Definetly not. Russian army had many faults, but it was not a band of bad-disciplined savages, led by ignorant officers as Mr.Bowden tries to convince us.

Poorly researched.......2001-05-10

This book is one of the poorest books on the Napoleonic period to be published for a long time. It is written on the basis of original archival research and the preface tells us that the principal primary sources were 193 cartons of material from the French archives, from which he identifies individual documents. In the context of the allies he alludes to the Austrian Kriegsarchiv, unidentified "smaller archival collections throughout Germany", and "an extensive collection of regimental histories in the Russian army archives", which we are told are "in Saint Petersberg". On close examination, however, it is impossible to identify a single original allied source.

Chapter II to Part II describes the Russian army in 1805 and on p96 we are told that there were four standing armies. The footnote refers to Duffy's Russia's Military Way to the West p126. This actually describes a 1777 proposal by Count Aleksandrovich Rumyantsev, which was never adopted.

On pp98-99 we are given the strength of a Russian infantry battalion as "738 combatants". Turning to the reference in the footnote, von Stein's Geschichte des Russischen Heeres Vol1 p245, there are some tables to be found, but this part of Stein is concerned with the maintenance costs of various units in 1802, and 738 is actually the pay in roubles received by a lieutenant colonel in the dragoons and hussars.

On p100 Bowden discusses the composition of the Russian guard infantry. Using Stein as the source again, he alludes to an organization extant during the reign of Paul I. The page indicated in Stein contains nothing whatever to substantiate the assertion that a guard infantry regiment comprised two battalions of musketeers and one of grenadiers, or that the grenadier battalion was detached from each to form a three battalion `Guard Grenadier' regiment in the field. The `Guard Grenadier' regiment he refers to is nothing of the sort and is, in fact, the Leib-Grenadier regiment, the senior regiment of the line.

Chapter III to Part II dealing with the Austrians is more of the same.

On p124 footnote 15 refers to Gallina's Beiträge zur Geschichte des österreichischen Heerwesens, a work published in 1872, specifically `Suggestions for the drill and Evolutions of Foot'. Gallina wrote in German and no part of his work was given an English title; except by Gunther Rothenberg in his The Archduke Charles and the Austrian Army 1792-1814, at footnote 22 to p87.

There is even more compelling evidence of poaching from secondary sources on p324. In his account of the attack on Telnitz by Kienmayer, which he footnotes as coming from Stutterheim. Bowden has the 2nd Szeklers supported by the 1st Szeklers and Border (sic) Croats. Duffy, also using Stutterheim in his 1977 Austerlitz 1805, says the same thing, including the typograhical error that has the Broder Croats as the `Border' Croats.

Examination of Stutterheim, however, shows that the Austrian, a primary source who was on the spot, says that Kienmayer committed 1st Szeklers initially and that he then ordered General Carneville to advance with the remainder of his infantry. The remainder of his infantry, therefore, comprising 2nd Szeklers and Broder Croats, supported the 1st Szeklers, and not as Bowden and Duffy have it. The only explanation for this that I can think of is that Bowden copied from Duffy, claiming to have taken it from Stutterheim, but repeated Duffy's error. It could, I suppose, be a simple coincidence that Duffy and Bowden made the same transcription error, some 20 years apart.

On p432 the Soult issue crops up. Soult, it is said, suggested `Duke of Austerlitz' for himself, when titles were being dished out in 1808. Napoleon, apparently, refused him and Bowden deploys two dubious sources to support his contention that Soult did not deserve it. He then goes on to say that the suggestion that Napoleon deprived Soult of

what he was due, is a British plot to make Wellington appear better than he was and adds a gratuitous insult to Paddy Griffiths and David Chandler! This is risible rubbish

The orders of battle should be treated with care. Russian transliterations are a mess, largely Germanic in origin and presumably taken from Stein. In the case of the Austrians, where the numbers have been rounded off, of unclear provenance.

The Biography contains a list of the works which, presumably, were consulted in writing the book. These include Mercer's Journal of the Waterloo Campaign and Bowden's own Armies of Waterloo! On page 525 there is an entry by an author called Derselbe, who apparently wrote Die Schlacht bei Austerlitz. `Derselbe' actually means `the same' or `ditto' in German. The only explanation I can think of is that he has simply lifted the entry from somebody else's bibliography without knowing what it meant. This tends to raise questions about the provenance of large parts of this book and probably explains mistakes in information extracted from German material, such as Stein.

Amazon.com

You won't come away from this energetic biography thinking much of the French emperor either as a man or as a general. Historian Alan Schom depicts Napoleon (1769-1821) as a cold-hearted manipulator: Schom's blistering accounts of the 1798-99 Egyptian campaign and the disastrous 1812 retreat from Russia show the French army decimated due to its leader's failure to inform himself about the lands he was invading or to properly plan for provisioning his troops. The fun of this book comes from vigorous prose that vividly evokes Bonaparte's titanic personality and the colorful band of schemers surrounding him.

Book Description

A definitive biography of Bonaparte from his birth in Corsica to his death in exile on St Helena, this book examines all aspects of Bonaparte's spectacular rise to power and his dizzying fall. It offers close examination of battlefield victories, personal torments, military genius, Bonaparte's titanic ego and his relationships with the French government, Talleyrand, Wellington and Josephine. A consummate biography of a complex man.

Customer Reviews:

Readable, but one-sided.......2007-07-18

This is a very readable book, for which I give the author, Schom, some credit. His writing style is somewhat crude but he advances the narrative at a brisk pace, which keeps the reader interested. I managed to read all 800 pages in three weeks.

However, I ultimately came away disappointed. This is about a man for whom huge numbers of people - French and otherwise - were strongly attached to and willing to die for, yet reading this you'd be hard-pressed to understand why. The author, despite his claims of attempting to write as objective a biography as possible, clearly dislikes his subject and portrays him in an extremely harsh light. Some of his criticisms are quite legitimate and should not be glossed over, but others are downright misleading. For instance, Schom repeatedly argues that Napoleon's wars were all of his own making (the words "pointless" and "useless" get used a lot), yet in many cases he went to war only after an act of belligerence on the part of another country. Schom makes a big deal of peace offerings made to Napoleon that he passed up - especially one offered by Britain in 1806 - overlooking the fact that France had signed a number of such treaties since the mid-1790s, only to face war against the same country within a few years. Schom seems to regard all peace initiatives made by France as false and nothing more than respites from fighting, when the same could almost certainly be said of his rivals' initiatives.

Schom also largely glosses over Napoleon's civil accomplishments, both domestic and foreign. Schom flatly states that he undid everything the Revolution accomplished, ignoring the fact that Napoleon upheld the principle of equality before the law and the tax collector - revolutionary ideas for his day - and granted complete freedom of religion for Protestants and Jews. His Civil Code - which still forms the basis of many countries' legal systems - is hardly mentioned at all. And that he abolished serfdom and instituted freedom of religion in his conquered territories is not mentioned. This is disappointing, especially when Schom emphasizes time and again the harsher aspects of his civil rule (mainly taxation and conscription). That all of his enemies, with the possible exception of Britain, were considerably more reactionary politically is not mentioned, either.

In short, this is a legitimately interesting book to read (my only complaint from that standpoint is that the maps could be better), but the author's harsh opinions about his subject cause him to omit important information that would provide the reader with a more balanced view.

Pretty good, but not perfect.......2007-06-17

A very negative view of Napoleon, however possibly the most accurate. Though the author continues to consider Napoleon as a military genius, he focuses on failures such as Egypt, the English Channel, Russia, and Waterloo. Clearly the accounts of Field Marshall Davout success despite being severely outnumbered subtract from Napoleon's brilliance. It would of been a grand addition for a chapter on him as their was on Fouche.
Most opposed to this account of Napoleon do not wish to acknowledge that he was bad enough to: have Europe align against him, his warmongering, his manipulation(his coup d'etat alone shows manipulation), a crushed European economy, etc.
In many ways this book can be seen as overly negative, but i can imagine it only counteracts all the overly positive accounts of his life. Perhaps this book with one of the more positive accounts of Napoleons life would give you the most precise understanding possible of Napoleon, a real man, not a mythical hero, legend, or tyrant.
For those who believe Schom is simply out to get Napoleon/France, the Germanic name would lead me to believe he's already been satisfied twice over.

Readable, despite flaws..........2007-05-16

I am not student enough of Napoleon Bonaparte to determine whether Schom's biography was "overly" negative. Thus, to comment on this unexpected controversy, as others have done, would be improper. Suffice it to say that the book is largely readable if lacking the excitement one would expect from such a life. It hovers just above average in it's ability to generate page-turning momentum.

Where the book falters most blatantly is in the maps Schom chose to accompany his battlefied narratives. These maps show no troop movements whatsoever and in many instances show no troop locations either. Napoleon's military genius (or extraordinary luck, according to Schom) is constantly referred to, therefore it is more than annoying that no one thought to strategically plot Austerlitz, Smolensk, Leipzig, or even Waterloo cartographically. It *is* Napoleon, for crying out loud.

Bonaparte's civil and military subordinates receive ample space as do the various loves of his life. Josephine is portrayed somewhat less flatteringly than posterity would generally admit. Indeed, no one on the side of empire is given so much as a kudo outside the invincible Marshal Davout. But, then, world domination rarely has it's retrospective proponents.

I enjoyed the book though I pecked at it occasionally as, in places, it became something of a chore. The knowledge gleaned was a definite plus, but, for reasons acknowledged, I would be hard-pressed to rate Napoleon Bonaparte: A Life anything above 3 stars.

Garbage.......2007-01-09

This book is garbage the author really seems to hate Napoleon, and think all his genius was luck, everything about the bonapartes is evil according to this author. I'd pay more for paper towels than this book

200 years and still controversal.......2006-12-22

I have mixed feelings about this book. I think it was a good read, but very anti-Bonaparte. It is a measure of this man that he can spark such angry commentaries almost 200 years after his death.
The contrast between this book and earlier efforts such as "Anatomy of Glory" and "The Campaigns of Napoleon" is quite striking.
I would not read this book in isolation, but as a counter-balance to other more pro-Napoleon biographies.
Bonaparte was far too complicated a man and ruler to be simplistically portrayed as either all bad or all good.

Napoleon's Egypt: Invading the Middle East

Average customer rating:

Disappointing
Outstanding middle east history. . .
Napoleon's Egypt or Egypt's Napoleon?
Napoleon's Egypt
The French Connection to Egypt

Napoleon's Egypt: Invading the Middle East
Juan Cole
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1403964319
Release Date: 2007-08-07

Book Description

In this vivid and timely history, Juan Cole tells the story of Napoleon's invasion of Egypt. Revealing the young general's reasons for leading the expedition against Egypt in 1798 and showcasing his fascinating views of the Orient, Cole delves into the psychology of the military titan and his entourage. He paints a multi-faceted portrait of the daily travails of the soldiers in Napoleon's army, including how they imagined Egypt, how their expectations differed from what they found, and how they grappled with military challenges in a foreign land. Cole ultimately reveals how Napoleon's invasion, the first modern attempt to invade the Arab world, invented and crystallized the rhetoric of liberal imperialism.

You can visit Juan Cole's Blog, Informed Comment at http://www.juancole.com/

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing.......2007-10-14

Being a fan of Juan Cole's columns on Middle East politics and of Napoleonic history I looked forward to this book. I must say I was quite disappointed. I found it dense, boring, difficult to read, full of uninteresting details and with a distorted image of Napoleon. Invading the Middle East was not simply an imperialist exercise. It was part of a strategy to cut off England from its growing Indian Empire. Cole is at its best when he covers what he knows best: the history of the Middle East. But in my modest view he has failed to tell a compelling account of Napoleon's ill-fated adventure in Egypt. For those interested in the subject I recommend Christopher Herold's "Bonaparte in Egypt," which was written almost fifty years ago.

Outstanding middle east history. . ........2007-09-24

Juan Cole is a true American treasure. Mr. Cole's outstanding analyses of American bungling during the Bush administration's farcical "War on Terror" should be required reading for the citizenry. This latest tome by Mr. Cole highlights the earlier (late 18th century) bungling by another megalomaniac--albeit a brilliant military tactician, Napoleon Bonaparte--when he tried to force Egypt to submit to his arrogant will. As in 21st century Iraq, the bravado of insurgency destroyed the imperial dream of France, and should have taught us a lesson for all time. But, alas, as Henry Ford once stated: "history is bunk". Unfortunately, Mr. Ford's words continue to haunt this nation whose present leader is determined to render history as obsolete and worthy of only a naif's attention, while he jousts with Gog and Magog (see Ezekiel in the O.T.). Thank you professor. Hopefully, more than a handful of Americans will study your valuable insight into Mideast folly, today and yesterday.

Napoleon's Egypt or Egypt's Napoleon?.......2007-09-23

Both a military and a cultural history, and for good reason. After Napoleon's infantry squares and artillery techniques prove absolutely lethal to fast and courageous Ottoman cavalry, the war becomes an occupation, and the occupation will not be decided by military might alone. It is a joy to watch the gifted and ruthless Napoleon gamely struggling to master occupation politics in a cultural setting of which he has only the dimmest grasp, and to watch his opponents outwit him using time-tested strategies of resistance while making up a few of their own.

Unforgettable moments range from the ridiculous to the macabre. Napoleon lets word get out that he might convert to Islam and bring his army with him, in an attempt to curry favor among Muslim clerics, but his army quickly nixes the idea, as the French were unwilling to endure circumcision and give up wine. French officers discover the pleasures and perils of harems. And in a remote desert fortification, one third of Napoleon's soldiers contract a local disease that causes their eyelids to flip inside out and they go blind. An attack comes, and the blind soldiers are pushed to the front by their comrades and told not to fire until the enemy closes to 75 yards.

Juan Cole is a mideast expert and knows Arabic, so he well understands the Egyptian context and can show how locals perceived the French as well as the reverse. He enjoys the occasional victories of the Egyptian underdogs while at the same time retaining empathy for the French as they try to adapt to what becomes a terrible predicament.

Napoleon's Egypt.......2007-09-18

I learned about this book during my customary morning reading of Professor Cole's authoritative blog, Informed Comment. Reading a few excerpts left no doubt in my mind that I should read the entire opus. Good decision. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this erudite well written, detailed and splendidly researched book. The parallels of Bonaparte's ill fated invasion of Egypt and our current disaster in Iraq are remarkable. I rank my books according to how often I highlight quotable passages. My copy of Napoleon's Egypt, pregnant with yellow hi-liter coated passages, attests to my approval of this tome and to my enthusiastic recommendation to anyone interested in learning a great lesson about an earlier tragic Middle East misadventure.

The French Connection to Egypt.......2007-09-16

Napoleon's ill-fated invasion of Egypt is presented here in a style that wavers between a conventional military narrative (often repetitive and boring) and a cultural/social description (sometimes interesting). Strangely, given the book's title, Napoleon himself does not come alive in this book, but effectively is left dry and distant.

Readers should know Dr. Cole tilts toward the Islamic world in his weighing of all things in this long ago encounter between the new France and the ancient Middle East.

The Age of Napoleon (Modern Library Chronicles)

Average customer rating:

Nice Digest of Napoleon's Influence on France
A summary of Napoleon and his accomplishments at home.
almost conversational, yet scholarly, riveting and humorous
Nice Addition to Horne's Seven Ages of Paris
Not an enjoyable read

The Age of Napoleon (Modern Library Chronicles)
Alistair Horne
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0679642633
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Book Description

The age of Napoleon transformed Europe, laying the foundations for the modern world. Now Alistair Horne, one of the great chroniclers of French history gives us a fresh account of that remarkable time.

Born into poverty on the remote island of Corsica, he rose to prominence in the turbulent years following the French Revolution, when most of Europe was arrayed against France. Through a string of brilliant and improbable victories (gained as much through his remarkable ability to inspire his troops as through his military genius), Napoleon brought about a triumphant peace that made him the idol of France and, later, its absolute ruler.

Heir to the Revolution, Napoleon himself was not a revolutionary; rather he was a reformer and a modernizer, both liberator and autocrat. Looking to the Napoleonic wars that raged on the one hand, and to the new social order emerging on the other, Horne incisively guides readers through every aspect of Napoleon’s two-decade rule: from France’s newfound commitment to an aristocracy based on merit rather than inheritance, to its civil code (Napoleon’s most important and enduring legacy), to censorship, cuisine, the texture of daily life in Paris, and the influence of Napoleon abroad. At the center of Horne’s story is a singular man, one whose ambition, willpower, energy and ability to command changed history, and continues to fascinate us today.

Customer Reviews:

Nice Digest of Napoleon's Influence on France.......2006-12-15

Horne's pithy little book is certainly not a good introduction to Napoleon the man, general, or emperor, nor a comprehensive history text on France. It is, however, a valuable collection of his most lasting and significant policies, ambitions, whims, excesses, successes, and failures.

Horne writes with the facile hand of an expert in his element, yet this book will certainly prove most valuable to the casual rather than novice or advanced scholar of Napoleonic France. It covers his rise to fame, deceptively humble power-grab, impressive reformist tendencies and initiatives, his staid morality contrasting personal hypocrisy, as well as Napoleon's creation of a new and (at least in theory) merit-based aristocracy, as well as the advent of modern French culture. Colorful episodes featuring his beloved Josephine as well as other flames and vixens are recounted.

This will be a nice addition to a Francophile shelf, but only a sketchy entry text for the curious.

A summary of Napoleon and his accomplishments at home........2004-09-27

For those seeking a biography of the man or his military accomplishments, this book does not fit the bill. Horne focuses on the political, economic, artistic, and scientific accomplishments of Napoleon and the Napoleonic Regime. So this book focuses on an area not covered by most authors. Since Napoleon is a topic that many authors have attempted, Horne focuses on an area not usually written about. Napoleon changed a lot in France, and Horne outlines both his accomplishments (Code of Napoleon for law, and scientific research) and his failures (theater, opera, and literature).
This is not an easy read, despite its brevity. It is a read that will enlighten a Napoleonic historian. However, the subjects and concepts are more difficult to understand than the
military victories.

almost conversational, yet scholarly, riveting and humorous.......2004-08-31

Engaging and informative, Horne manages to present his vast knowledge of Napoleon and his age in an almost conversational tone that-while full of rich historical detail-manages to be scholarly, riveting and often quite humorous. For example, in addition to learn about the numerous ways Napoleon's two decade rule transformed Europe, we learn that his wife and Empress Josephine's wardrobe contained 666 winter dresses, 230 summer ones and only two pair of knickers. If one wishes for a direct introduction to Napoleon and his influence, The Age of Napoleon is an excellent place to start.

Nice Addition to Horne's Seven Ages of Paris.......2004-05-27

This newest addition to the Modern Library Chronicles series is not a history of Napoleon but a snapshot into this time in France, although by his very nature the man defines the times. For a short biography of Napoleon, take a look at Paul Johnson's slim volume and for a fuller context of Parisian history read Alistair Horne's The Seven Ages of Paris. This book, the Age of Napoleon, is Alistair Horne's examination of one of those particular ages and the man at the centre of it. The book is arranged by topics as opposed to a chronological history so basic familiarty with European history will be an advantage. The author also repeats himself, at times, as the story moves back and forth. But this book will give the reader an idea of these tumultous times and either lead them to further reading about Napoleon the man or work as a refresher to a previously read biography.

Not an enjoyable read.......2004-05-23

I don't recommend this book unless you're already familiar with the entire history of Napoleon. It's filled with vague references, assumes the reader lives in the writer's world with the references he doesn't explain, and uses many French sentences without any translation.

I bought this small book, hoping it would be a quick, interesting read. I found it was neither.

Book Description

In 1809 the world's undisputed military genius--Napoleon Bonaparte--confronted his implacable continental foe, the Hapsburg Empire. During the Vienna campaign of that year, Napoleon suffered his first defeat since becoming Emperor, but rebounded to win Wagram, a battle of unprecedented lethality. Referring to the strategic importance of the battles he fought, Napoleon reflected: "My power is dependent on my glory, and my glory on my victories. My power would fall if I did not base it on still more glory and still more victories. Conquest made me what I am; conquest alone can keep me there." Even in the midst of a life and death campaign struggle against Austria, Napoleon continued to make nearly every decision of state on a daily basis. During his bath, while being shaved, when eating his meals, aides presented petitions and requests for his tireless attention: a second lieutenant asks to retain his French citizenship while serving in the Dutch army? Granted. Emperor Alexander I of Russia asks that an English prisoner of war who is a relative of his personal surgeon be released? Granted. If genius lies in the attention to detail, here was genius at work. The sun rose on April 24, 1809, to illuminate a continent at war. From Poland to Spain, some 600,000 soldiers awakened to duty. Nowhere was the concentration of forces greater than in the Danube Valley where Napoleon had determined to launch his blow against the Austrian Generalissimus, Erzherzog (Archduke) Karl. If Karl triumphed, most of Europe stood poised to pounce. Napoleon and the French Empire would be attacked from all quarters. If Karl failed, all Europe--except England and perhaps Portugal and Spain--would make whatever accommodations were necessary to survive under Napoleonic hegemony. The ensuing campaign led to Napoleon's first defeat at Aspern-Essling. So, at the end of May, Napoleon sat with his battered army at the end of a long and imperiled line of communications while Europe erupted around him. Yet, at the moment of supreme crisis, Napoleon displayed his formidable talents and prepared a masterful counterstroke. French and Austrian alike suffered horrific losses at Wagram, but at battle's end, Napoleon's commanding presence produced a French triumph. It was a victory so complete that the Emperor forced Austria into unwilling alliance and even took the daughter of the Austrian Kaiser to be his new wife. For one last time, the French conqueror redrew Europe's map.

Customer Reviews:

Fun to read.......2000-11-04

How it is I do not know but the majority, vast majority, of books on this exciting period put me to sleep. Not Mr. Arnold. He has a fluid style which manages to entertain as well as inform. Why not 5 stars? The maps are crude and the Order of Battle does not include number of effectives present per regiment.

One of the better books on Napoleonic battles.......1998-06-03

I found 'Napoleon Conquers Austria' to be a well researched and written book covering the 1809 campaign for Vienna. The author presented the campaign in such a fluid style that I lost track of time whilst reading the book. His account of the Battle of Wagram was excellent and there was 13 maps to assist the reader to follow the action. I think that the maps could have been better presented but they were sufficient, the illustrations (19) were interesting with some recent photos of the battlefields. Overall this was an easy to read account of this famous campaign and it was an enjoyable journey to take. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Napoleonic history.

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