The Reign of Napoleon Bonaparte

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Between the years 1805 and 1815, the armies of Napoleon Bonaparte conquered most of continental Europe, establishing their leader, if but briefly, as "a new Charlemagne." In the second part of his two volumes on the life of the emperor, military historian Robert Asprey examines the armies' triumphs and eventual defeat, following in their footsteps from Spain to Russia, and on to Waterloo.

Bonaparte, Asprey writes, aspired to forge and lead a united, peaceful Europe, a quest that required much blood to be shed. A former U.S. marine officer, Asprey is a reliable commentator on matters of battlefield strategy and tactics, and his book's greatest strength is his power to invoke the feel of bloody engagements, which include the Battle of Borodino, where more than 40,000 Russians fell in a single day (cut down, he notes, by the more than 2 million rounds that French muskets fired); Wagram, where French forces managed to eke out victory over their Austrian foes despite a series of costly blunders; Corunna, where the French forces, having marched 15 and more miles a day, proved "that there have probably been no tougher soldiers in the world"; and the decisive action at Waterloo, where French, Belgian, German, and English armies clashed amid thunderstorms and confusion to an end that was anything but inevitable.

Other books do a better job of treating Napoleon as a political being, but Asprey's is one of the better recent books on Napoleon as general, and students of military history will learn much from his account. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

Robert Asprey completes his definitive, two-volume biography with an intimate, fast-paced look at Napoleon's daring reign and tragic demise with more of the personality and passion that marked the first volume of this cradle to the grave biography.

In The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, Asprey showed us that Napoleon was not the father of chaos, but rather an heir to it. In this companion volume, we see Napoleon struggling to subdue the turmoil. We peer over Napoleon's shoulder as he solidifies his growing empire through a series of marriages, military victories, and shrewd diplomatic manipulations. We watch Napoleon lose control of his empire, plot his return from Elba, rally peasants in his march to Paris, endure defeat at Waterloo and suffer exile and a lonely death on the island of St. Helena. Robert Asprey tells this fascinating, tragic tale in lush narrative detail.

Customer Reviews:

The Reign of Napoleon Bonaparte is a good general history of the reign of the little coroporal from Corsica.......2007-09-19

"The Reign of Napoleon Bonaparte" is the second volume on the life of Napoleon by Robert Asprey. Volume One was entitled "The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte" covering his life from his birth in 1769 on Corsica to his victory at Austerlitz in 1085. That volume ends with Napoleon as the crowned emperor. All is well with the emperor!
In this final volume we see Napoleon meet his Waterloo as he is soundly defeated by Lord Wellington and the allies on June 18, 1815. Napoleon, who had earlier escaped from captivity on Elba where he had been exiled since his defeat at the Battle of the Nations, spent the last six years of his life on the South Sea island of St. Helena. Here Napoleon spent six miserable years of ennui, physical ailments and relatively harsh treatment from his English captors. His disdain for the governor of the ilsand Hudson Lowe was mutual. A sad end for the man who had made the great nations of Europe live in fear of the Grande Armee's military juggernaut.
Asprey briefly covers the major battles of this period. If you wish to study them in greater depth turn to David Chandler or John Elting's fine works on these huge and bloody confrontations. Asprey is good in superficially covering Napoleon's many amours including the sexy Marie
Walewski of Poland as well as his second wife Marie of Austria. Napoleon divorced the unfaithful Josephine but loved her until her death in 1814.
This book is a good introduction to the life and career of France's most famous political/military man. Napoleon was complex, hot-headed and
a man who had trouble dealing with the hand played him by Madame Fate.This
is a readable book. The maps included are minimal and poorly drawn. The period illustrations are well reproduced. It is a good book worthy to have a place on the bookshelves of miltary history buffs.

Eminently Readable Napolean Bio - Part II.......2007-09-13

Robert Asprey has written an outstanding biography about one of the world's greatest (or infamous) leaders.

Not drenched in military minutia or battlefield granularity, this 2nd volume presents a balanced and fair overview of the man and his leadership of France.

Asprey's literary style is entertaining and brisk. If you're looking for a bio that'll provide you with a solid foundation about how Napolean impacted Europe and the World -- you can't go wrong here.

Part 2 of an excellent biography.......2006-12-15

This is part two of the best biography of Napoleon that I have read. It is a focus on political and military history but does a decent job of covering the social aspects of napoleon's reforms. This book really focuses on the Napoleonic empire and its eventual fall. It also covers his return to power and does an excellent job of presenting the information clearly. The prose is well done and really makes for quick and interesting reading. This is a must have for anyone studying this era.

napoleon book bombs.......2004-02-09

I agree with Mr. Brooks' negative review on "Reign of Napoleon Bonaparte," by Robert Asprey. It would be comparable to reading a biography of Babe Ruth that was written by studying the box scores. The book has hardly anything about Napoleon's persona, which is promised in the preface, and important events are trivialized and hardly mentioned. After reading this and learning almost nothing, I opened a copy of Emil Ludwig's biograpy of Napoleon, written in 1926, which I had picked up years ago. Ludwig's book is much better.

Flawed.......2002-03-16

The second volume of Asprey's biography of Napoleon makes the same error of the first one: he focuses entirely on Napoleon's military career while virtually ignoring every other aspect of the man's life. Asprey has billed his book as an attempt to see the whole Napoleon, but in this he fails. Napoleon's personal life, his domestic policies in France, his philosophy, are passed over with scarely a mention.

Furthermore, even in covering Napoleon's military career, Asprey falls short. The section on the crossing of the Danube River during the 1809 Austrian Campaign, one of the most fascinating events in Napoleon's career, is covered in a confusing and slipslod manner, leaving the reader utterly at a loss to what actually happened. The Battle of Dresden, a massive engagement which lasted two days and was Napoleon's last major victory, is mentioned only in passing, without even a full sentence devoted to it. Overall, the writing gives the impression of an author in a hurry to meet a deadline, unable to carefully edit and correct his work.

This work fails in its stated purpose to present a full view of Napoleon's life, its writing style is somewhat sloppy and overall the book fails to impress.

Average customer rating:

The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte is a good review of his life from Birth in 1769 to the batlle of Austerlitz in 1805

Eminently Readable Napolean Biography

Good Read

An Inch Deep and a Mile Wide

Great biography--for those already familiar with the subject

The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte
Robert Asprey
Manufacturer: Westview Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Reign of Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte: A Life

How to Make War

Napoleon: A Political Life

Napoleon: A Biography

ASIN: 0465048811
Release Date: 2001-10-02

Book Description

Robert Asprey charts Napoleon's thrilling, reckless rise to power in this fast-paced first volume of the definitive biography of the fascinating, enigmatic, and still mysterious tragic conqueror.

Ever since 1821, when he died at age fifty-one on the forlorn and windswept island of St. Helena, Napoleon Bonaparte has been remembered as either demi-god or devil incarnate. In The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, the first volume of a two-volume cradle-to-grave biography, Robert Asprey instead treats him as a human being. Asprey tells this fascinating, tragic tale in lush narrative detail. The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte is an exciting, reckless thrill ride as Asprey charts Napoleon's vertiginous ascent to fame and the height of power. Here is Napoleon as he was-not saint, not sinner, but a man dedicated to and ultimately devoured by his vision of himself, his empire, and his world.

Customer Reviews:

The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte is a good review of his life from Birth in 1769 to the batlle of Austerlitz in 1805.......2007-09-17

Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Corsican obscurity in 1769. He was involved in patriotic struggle in Corsica; studied at a French military school and won his fame during the French Revolution. Napoleon has had millions upon millions of words and thousands of books written upon his fabled career. In his life he became emperor of the French; fought the major powers of the nineteenth century such as Britain, Austria, Prussia, Austria and Russia; wed and divorced Josephine; married Maria Louise of Austria; lost at Waterloo and died in exile on the island of St. Helena.
Robert Asprey is an American historian who has authored several books of military history. This book is the first volume in a brisk two volume work. Asprey has a plain style; briefly covers major battles such as
the Battle of the Nile, Maregno and Austerlitz and delves into the love life and mecurial character of the little corporal who was the cynosure of so much adulation and hatred in the nineteenth century world.
Asprey does not go into excessive detail in describing military actions and his maps are few and far between. His coverage of diplomacy is not filled with details but does give the general reader an idea of the issues involved. If you seek a more scholarly and detailed look at the battles pick up the hefty tome "The Campaigns of Napoleon" by the eminent David Chandler; if you want more of the life of the average soldier in the French army turn to John Elting and if you want all the sexy intrigue of the Napoleonic court turn to Evangeline Bruce.
If, however, you are a student or a neophyte to Napoleonic study this fine general biography will be a good place to begin study of the Napoleon era.
Asprey is balanced in his portrait of Napoleon who was neither saint nor sinner but a tough, brilliant battlefield commander who worshipped at the shrine of power and egomania.I recommend this book and the second volume "The Reign of Napoleon Bonaparte." Good reading!

Eminently Readable Napolean Biography.......2007-09-13

Robert Asprey has delivered an outstanding look at one of the world's greatest military minds and leaders.

Not focusing simply on Napolean's personal life, Asprey paints his character's life and actions against the canvas of then-current events, such as the French Revolution.

Asprey's literary style is efficient but entertaining, and he does not encumber the reader with military minutia -- an accomplishment considering his subject.

If you seek a biography to explain who Napolean was and what he did -- this is a great start.

Good Read.......2007-03-20

I am a high school senior who is planning to major in history in college I thought that it was a very engaging book even for my limited vocabulary and reading ability. It is truly an unbiased essay on Napoleon's life and adds an element I've never found before. Asprey shows what we are all missing out on when people write biased biographies. A must have if you want a book on Napoleon's life, military battles, and his destructive relationship with that (expletive) Josephine. Hope you guys like it.

An Inch Deep and a Mile Wide.......2007-01-13

All the major events are covered, but there is little or no analysis/detailed description of those events. If you have little or no previous knowledge of Napoleon, this book would leave you thinking that the battle of Austerlitz was really not a big deal at all.

Very disappointing read.

Great biography--for those already familiar with the subject.......2006-12-21

I did my usual speed-reading of the first 100 pages, then realized I didn't really understand a lot of things about who Napoleon was, what he was doing, or why. Figuring I'd managed to skip the relevant information I carefully re-read those pages. Still confused, I tried it again. No joy.

Examples: the Jacobin Club is mentioned. Robespierre is tossed about with abandon. Someone named Louis XXXVIII, and Marie Antoinette are mentioned. Etc, etc. I happily admit my ignorance. (I'm probably more familiar with his military strategy than the average person, but I play Napoleonic-era wargames.)

My knowledge of the French Revolution is limited to "Let them eat cake," beheadings with ze guillotine, and mass riots. While I didn't expect an expert-level education about the revolution from a book about Napoleon, I didn't realize it explains absolutely nothing about what was going on at the time.

If you're already familiar with Napoleon and the environment in late 18th-century Europe you will probably enjoy this work. If you aren't familar with either subject there are most certainly better biographies--though I don't believe any written in the last 10 years are worthwhile for any except the specialists.

Average customer rating:

Readable, but one-sided
Pretty good, but not perfect
Readable, despite flaws...
Garbage
200 years and still controversal

Napoleon Bonaparte: A Life
Alan Schom
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060929588
Release Date: 1998-08-26

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.

NO FOOTPRINTS IN THE BUSH (Scribner Crime Classics)

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NO FOOTPRINTS IN THE BUSH (Scribner Crime Classics)
Arthur Upfield
Manufacturer: Touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0020259409

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The Cream of murder mysteries!
Everything Old is New Again

Murder Down Under
Arthur W. Upfield
Manufacturer: Touchstone
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ASIN: 0684850591

Amazon.com

For readers who thought they'd exhausted the list of Golden Age mystery writers, Australian author Arthur Upfield (1888-1964) is often a pleasant surprise. The tales of Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte (or Bony, as he is known) offer all of the major pleasures of Christie, Tey, and Doyle; but Upfield's works also carry the freshness of his island continent setting and of his "half-caste" hero. Bony, born of an aborigine mother and a white father, is a genius of criminal science and also a classic gentleman. Suave and always impeccably dressed (except, of course, when in disguise), he solves mysteries through patience. As he often repeats to John Muir--one of the many young men he tutors: "Never race Time. Make Time an ally, for Time is the greatest detective that ever was or ever will be." Through Bony, Upfield's progressive series frequently explores the foundations of Australian race prejudices and defies them with Bonaparte's genial wit and disarming smile.

In Murder Down Under the detective is on holiday in western Australia but inevitably winds up with a working vacation, this time assisting young Sergeant Muir. Farmer George Loftus has disappeared, and his car was found smashed along the world's longest fence in the wheat town of Burracoppin. The days before Loftus's disappearance are filled with clues that point to Leonard Wallace, owner of the Burracoppin Hotel. Loftus had given Wallace a ride from Perth back to the hotel, and the pair had shared drinks in the bar before driving off together at 1 a.m.--shortly before the disappearance. Wallace claims that the two had argued and that he had left the car well before the accident. Now, Bony must parse truth and fiction in his inimitable style. Along the way, however, he meets the bizarre Mr. Jelly, an amateur criminologist who collects portraits of murders and who may have some insights into the case. Murder Down Under is a true classic: a rich world of quirky characters and fascinating scenery built around a complex and satisfying puzzle. Other adventures of Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte: The Bone Is Pointed, The Bachelors of Broken Hill, and The Mystery of Swordfish Reef. --Patrick O'Kelley

Customer Reviews:

The Cream of murder mysteries!.......2007-10-12

The setting is Australia, and the protagonist is half-aborigine, half-caucasian, detective wonder, Napoleon Bonepart.... Boney to his friends. Boney ALWAYS tells his superiors, in advance, that he will solve even the most difficult of crimes, and he does. The only thing is, his superiors are always pressing him on time and they unfailingly threaten to fire him on every case he works. Boney just mildly smiles and says, "Well, if you have to, then go ahead." But they dare NOT fire him, though (and Boney knows it too!) -- Boney is the top crime-solving detective in the whole of Australia.

This is one of his (Upfield's and Boney's) best mysteries of all time. Here, Boney is on a Busman's Holiday when he gets pulled into a missing person investigation in a small outback village. He follows clues just as the great Sherlock Holmes did, acting upon the most obscure pieces of evidence and information -- a shred of cloth here, a cigarette butt there, or, a partial footprint in the dust. Boney is an expert tracker and "evidence finder," thanks to his aboriginal blood on his mother's side of the family.

"The Rabbits" also come into this one in a big way -- they pretty much always do in Bonepart mysteries, and it's a fascinating aspect of each work. (For those who don't know, Australia is PLAGUED with millions of rabbits and they have government agencies, and lots of "rabbit fences," to help deal with them).

The thing I like most about Bonepart is his lack of concern for invading the privacy of suspects -- search warrants be damned! He sneaks right into suspects' houses and meticulously goes through their dresser drawers, sometimes to his demise! He also utilizes "the locals" as assistant amateur detectives to help him solve the case.

When you finish this one, you'll rush right out and grab another Napoleon Bonepart mystery. Why Upfield's works have remained so obscure, I have no idea -- but I'm darned glad I found him. All his mysteries are real page turners.

To summarize, I hate saying, "Better than Christie".... but, in this instance, I will do so with pleasure. Plenty of atmosphere and action. Real Cream.

Everything Old is New Again.......2000-01-05

If you like stylized mysteries, Agatha Christie, Australia, or unusual detectives you will probably enjoy this book by Arthur Upfield. The setting is Western Australia of the '30s to '50s. The unusual detective hero is the half-Aboriginal and half-white Napoleon Bonaparte ("Bony"). His struggle is to fit himself into the full range of Australian life, while being an outsider to both cultural worlds.

The real treat here is the insight you get into life in Western Australia in the first half of the 20th Century. Like Christie, the book is somewhat mannered in its approach. But the detailed view of Australians trying to live an "English" life in this remote corner will remain with you for a long time.

Upfield's view of the Aborigine in Australian society was probably quite daring for its time, but today it may make you shudder at its racist overtones. Never mind, keep on reading. This isn't life today in Australia; it is life as viewed through Australian eyes forty or fifty years ago. You will find yourself rooting for Detective Napoleon Bonaparte with his Aboriginal wisdom and Dreamworld view of crime and mystery.

Average customer rating:

excellent introduction to Bony and Australian bush folklore

Death of a Swagman
Arthur Upfield
Manufacturer: Scribner Paper Fiction
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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The MYSTERY OF SWORDFISH REEF

ASIN: 0684174820

Customer Reviews:

excellent introduction to Bony and Australian bush folklore.......1999-05-24

Death of a Swagman was written in the mid point of Arthur Upfields career and shows in his attention to detail and his ability to capture the feling of Australian country towns in the early part of our century. The story is a good detective novel in its own right with plenty of plots and action and red herrings. Bony's relationship with Rose Marie is used as a strong pivot point throughout the novel giving a useful viewpoint of the running of the town from a child's perspective. The advantage of this book over other bony novels is the character development of the subjects. This gives a depth and humanity which remains after the story is finished. The narrative of the swagmans lifestyle and its mythology is addressed here with great detail and provides a refreshing glimpse of a bygone era.

Average customer rating:

A new convert
Not Free SF Reader
Very Oz -- 70-odd years ago
It certainly is
Well-Intentioned Folly

The BONE IS POINTED
Arthur W. Upfield
Manufacturer: Scribner
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0684850575

Customer Reviews:

A new convert.......2007-10-06

The Bone Is Pointed is my first Napoleon Bonaparte mystery, and it was a most pleasant experience. Taking place in Australia, and written by someone who lived there, gives the reader a taste of what it's like in that world down under. Older mysteries are making a comeback and this series is a good choice for re-issue.

Bony to his friends, the half-caste detective has the self assurance of Holmes and the likeable arrogance of Poirot. Knowing that he is good at his profession does not make him insufferable. He is kind, even though a few others are often goaded to unkindness at best out of fear of his ability to solve cases. His doggedness is nearly legendary, his source of pride and a reputation is fights hard to maintain.

In this case, his susceptibility to the ways of his aboriginal mother come to the fore, yet he is surrounded by people who have liked him from the moment he meets them. Even though one or more of them is a murderer. Of this he is certain. The missing victim, Jeffrey Anderson, was not what he seemed, at least in part. He was well known to be a bully, treating others cruelly, and no one mourns his loss. The only fear is that in death he will bring ruin to those who knew him.

The story drifts a bit and readers looking for fights and bloodletting won't get much in Upfield's novel. Still, it's a quick read and an interesting one that will lead some readers to others in the series. Happy reading.

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

The detective's name in this book is Napoleon Bonaparte, so you would
want people to call you by a nickname as well. He is a half-caste, so
this colors his perceptions of the world.

What is interesting about this book are that Bony's religious
beliefs are harming him. He is having the 'bone pointed' at him by
elders, which will eventually kill him if he cannot solve the case.

Very Oz -- 70-odd years ago.......2007-02-22

1. Some very strange comments below, eg,
"a poignant introduction to" and "a stunning commentary about the nature of race and cultural relations in Australia"; "an indictment of the cultural politics of Australia"; "condemnation of the inequality that has embraced Australia for more than a century";
"Detective fiction provided a way to support civil and social rights for aboriginals in a time when such acts were not accepted"; "the racial tensions of this society";
"What Bony finds leads him and the reader into a struggle to create an Australian identity in the vast and desolate landscape; a struggle between an aboriginal identity and white. As Bony skates the race line, the tension between the white world and the black becomes greater..";
"comments on the racial divide in Australia";
"Some of the book could be considered racist by contemporary standards (such as the use of "boss" toward the whites for example), but the overall story seems quite progressive for its time..";
"Comments on Australia's color line"; "Some bits intended to be quite enlightened fifty years ago may strike some readers today as racist"; ETC.

Have we been reading the same book? Arthur Upfield heaps scorn on the _urban_ Australian, ignorant of the outback & therefore dismissive & patronising towards its inhabitants -- white _& especially_ black. Upfield is especially scathing about those urban whites who dismiss Aboriginal culture as 'primitive'. He champions its _age_ & deep knowledge, & the undoubted power & reality of some of its so-called 'magical' practices. The book turns on the latter: Bony is definitely affected by the bone-pointing: the impact is real. And equally it is _only_ the Aboriginal medicine man who can bring Bony back from the point of death. Upfield brilliantly expounds Aboriginal philosophy -- _not_ in "Aboriginal patois" (as one review puts it) but in Aboriginal English --ie, a variety of Pidgin.

Upfield also depicts accurately the relationships between the outback whites & 'their' Aborigines -- the 'station' Aborigines, as distinct from those who are still 'bush'. This relationship is mutual respect & interdependence. The station-owner is called 'boss' precisely because he _is_ that: the _employer_ of _his_ station Aborigines. He supplies food, housing, clothing, etc, _&_ employment: in the running of the station (managing the sheep &/or cattle, the horses, etc; managing the water & the land, etc.)

The outback whites want to preserve Aboriginal _culture_ from destruction by the church & other urban whites. Upfield constantly contrasts the depth of Aboriginal culture -- already old before the whites had even descended from the trees -- & the superficiality of the so-called 'civilisation' with which urban whites want to replace this ancient outlook & way of life. So the tension in Bony is the tension between his ancient roots in the bush -- roots that are millions of years old, & the pull of 'white' _culture_: rational, emotionless, scientific.

2. "the English treatment of the Aboriginals and the Aboriginals resulting feelings...an often ignored group of people"

(a) ignored by whom? Certainly not the Australians (b)'English' & 'Australian' are _not_, repeat not, the same. The Australians are quite distinct, & refer to the English as 'Poms'. What Upfield shows us is (1)how the outback Oz whites interrelate with the Aborigines -- on terms of knowledge & understanding (2)the patronising ignorance of the urban Oz whites.

It certainly is.......2006-08-27

This is brilliant. Detective-Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the most original and endearing characters in mystery fiction. His mother's Aboriginal, and he solves cases in the Australian outback. This book was published in 1947. Learn about life in old Australia AND sink your teeth into a juicy mystery.

Well-Intentioned Folly.......2002-04-10

Arthur Upfield clearly has a grasp of what is required to create a solid piece of detective fiction, and yet, though all the necessaries of the genre are represented (murder mystery, self-assured detective, etc.) it seems there is still something missing. Though this book failed to grab my attention as a modern detective novel, it did serve as a poignant introduction to the not-so-underlying politics of Australia. Upfield's well-intentioned detective, Napoleon Bonaparte, known to readers as Bony, is infinitely aware of his part aboriginal, part white background, and this awareness is fundamental to all other action. As Bony attempts to solve the disappearance of the drunken Jeffrey Anderson he embraces aspects from all areas of his background, employing his ancestral history to reach a conclusion about the disappearance and death of Anderson. Bony's lineage means more to this tale than its ability to help him solve the mystery of the moment however. It is a stunning commentary about the nature of race and cultural relations in Australia. Upfield has written a book that serves as an indictment of the cultural politics of Australia, painting a picture that is a means by which he may critique the behavior of the very people most likely to seek out his tales. As a result, he is able to deliver a message that would otherwise fall on deaf ears. His is a tale is a condemnation of the inequality that has embraced Australia for more than a century.

Visual Revelations: Graphical Tales of Fate and Deception From Napoleon Bonaparte To Ross Perot

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Stick with Tufte
Fantastic journey through the world of charts and graphs!
Unseen

Visual Revelations: Graphical Tales of Fate and Deception From Napoleon Bonaparte To Ross Perot
Howard Wainer
Manufacturer: Lawrence Erlbaum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0805838783

Book Description

To function in modern society complex data must be absorbed and understood at a breakneck pace. The most efficient way to do this is through data-based graphics. This book is an exploration and celebration of graphical methods of data presentation.

Visual Revelations' principal purpose is to enlighten, inform, and amuse the reader regarding the shortcomings of common graphical practices; particularly how they can misinform while simultaneously providing models of wonderful graphics. There are many examples of the best graphic practice, graphs that go beyond conveying, facts, and structure to be able to carry emotion as well.

Aimed at an educated, lay audience, this volume benefits anyone who must either convey or receive quantitative information, including designers, statisticians, and people in the media.

Customer Reviews:

Stick with Tufte.......2003-09-22

Don't waste your time on this one. Get Ed Tufte's first two books. Wainer spends many pages regurgitating and adulating Tufte's previously published work--unfortunately with less clarity.

Fantastic journey through the world of charts and graphs!.......1998-02-06

I read this book, cover to cover, after flipping through looking at the pictures. What a great read! I will never look at a chart again, without a newfound (and critical ) eye towards the graphical representation of the information. I am also glad to see the author writing for the on-line e-zine IntellectualCapital -

Unseen.......1997-12-13

I heard Howard Wainer speak at a conference last week, and I am ordering his book sight unseen. His intellect, wit, and humor in front of the group was amazing. If the book captures half of that, it will be a treat.

The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte

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The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte
Karl Marx , and D. D. L.
Manufacturer: Mondial
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1595690239

Wings Above the Diamantina (A Scribner Crime Classic)

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Outback Queensland, 1936, and Napoleon Bonaparte

Wings Above the Diamantina (A Scribner Crime Classic)
Arthur Upfield
Manufacturer: Scribner Paper Fiction
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0020259700

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Outback Queensland, 1936, and Napoleon Bonaparte.......2000-03-08

Wings Above the Diamantina (1936) is one of several mysteries by Arthur Upfield set in the Australian outback, and featuring the detective Napoleon Bonaparte, who is part Aborigine and who retains and uses his bush lore to good advantage. Many readers who are only slightly familiar with Australia find the Upfield "Bony" novels fascinating in their vivid depiction of the bush, not only the appearence, but also the wildlife, weather, and how the natives and cattlemen alike survive. The mystery is to me of secondary importance, indeed I regret at times when it intrudes on the accounts of bush places and people. This particular novel, set in the early 1930s, will interest some readers with its description of social life on a cattle station, from the wealthy daughter of the owner who, though very intelligent, wears a dress hat and white gloves while visiting a cattle drive, to the bushmen who work on the station, all with sympathetic and accurate understanding. This is not serious anthropology of course (thank heavens), it is escape fiction, but all the same the reader feels that something about distant people and places is learned, and very enjoyably too. The writing is not of the high literary class (thank heavens again), but is very satisfactory. One is not apt to forget the description of the rare red sand cloud, for example, nor trying to cross the Diamantina, a river usually lacking even a particle water, when it floods to over 5 miles wide. If you like wild places this will interest you. I think Upfield's characters and settings beat Agatha Christie's any time. Four stars as a mystery, 3 as "literature," 5 for showing the bush in the 1930s. Who would work when they could go on walkabout?

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