Napoleon and Wellington - Brossura

Roberts, Andrew

Brossura

ISBN 10: 1842127403 ISBN 13: 9781842127407

Casa editrice: W&N, 2003

Riassunto

A dual biography of the greatest opposing generals of their age who ultimately became fixated on one another, by a bestselling historian.
'Thoroughly enjoyable, beautifully written and meticulously researched' Observer

On the morning of the battle of Waterloo, the Emperor Napoleon declared that the Duke of Wellington was a bad general, the British were bad soldiers and that France could not fail to win an easy victory. Forever afterwards historians have accused him of gross overconfidence, and massively underestimating the calibre of the British commander opposed to him.

Andrew Roberts presents an original, highly revisionist view of the relationship between the two greatest captains of their age. Napoleon, who was born in the same year as Wellington - 1769 - fought Wellington by proxy years earlier in the Peninsula War, praising his ruthlessness in private while publicly deriding him as a mere 'sepoy general'.

In contrast, Wellington publicly lauded Napoleon, saying that his presence on a battlefield was worth forty thousand men, but privately wrote long memoranda lambasting Napoleon's campaigning techniques. Although Wellington saved Napoleon from execution after Waterloo, Napoleon left money in his will to the man who had tried to assassinate Wellington. Wellington in turn amassed a series of Napoleonic trophies of his great victory, even sleeping with two of the Emperor's mistresses.

Su questo libro

Recensione:

The book is thoroughly enjoyable, beautifully written and meticulously researched (Jason Bourke OBSERVER)

It is one of Andrew Roberts's merits that, as well as being intelligent, hard-working and opinionated, he gets great fun out of his writing. His books are consequently not only genuinely important but also a pleasure to read (Philip Ziegler DAILY TELEGRAPH)

This is narrative history, readable, well-researched and lively as dry champagne (Jane Ridley SPECTATOR)

Andrew Roberts, the political biographer whose life of Lord Salisbury won him the Wolfson Prize for 1999, now brings the same qualities of insight and judgment to the field of military history (Correlli Barnett SUNDAY TELEGRAPH)

He writes so well that his new book will find a ready audience among admirers of both his protagonists (Max Hastings EVENING STANDARD)

Andrew Roberts' excellent book strips away the clichéd public statements and looks at the real relationship between the two greatest commanders of their age. It is a fascinating tale. The core of this splendid and thoughtful book is ultimately his judgement on the two men and their record (David Chandler RUSI JOURNAL)

Andrew Roberts has entered the lists of Napoleonic historians, tilted at champions and sent many away with bruised and broken bones. Some of them may never recover (Allan Mallinson THE TIMES)

A must-have for anyone interested in Napoleonic history, Napoleon and Wellington is an easy read, containing a wealth of information. Highly recommended, this work is destined to become a classic (NAPOLEONIC ALLIANCE GAZETTE)

Roberts sets out to explore each man's contrasting qualities and their opinion of each other. In the process he has uncovered a number of corporeal connections: some enchanting, some mysterious, and others unsavoury (Roger Hutchinson THE SCOTSMAN)

Roberts does his best throughout this thoughtful and absorbing book to hold the balance between his protagonists both as soldiers and men (TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT)

Descrizione del libro:

A dual biography of the greatest opposing generals of their age who ultimately became fixated on one another, by a bestselling historian.
'Thoroughly enjoyable, beautifully written and meticulously researched' Observer

Su questa edizione

• Editore: W&N
• Data di pubblicazione: 2003
• ISBN 10: 1842127403
• ISBN 13: 9781842127407
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 448