The Story of Civilization, Part XI: The Age of Napoleon: A History of European Civilization from 1789 to 1815

bought it to complete a set; i wish i would have paid attention to publication date cause now i have a mismatched set of different color covers.

In this, the eleventh volume in the critically acclaimed series "The Story of Civilization," Dr. Will and Ariel Durant have compiled a masterly recount of the incredible sequence of events that led Europe out of the Enlightenment and into the Age of Democracy. The reader is treated to a detailed narration of: The revolution in France. The revolutionary leaders such as Robespierre. Marat. The rise of Napoleon. The fall of Napoleon. The life of Napoleon. The poetry of Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron and Shelley. The philosophy of Schelling and Hegel. The music of Beethoven. And much, much more including plates and maps. Written to stand alone or within the landmark series, the Durants have composed a historical retelling in smooth prose which is easy to read and understand by both professional and layperson alike. In short, this book is for everyone interested in European history. A benchmark in a class of its own, I rate this text at five stars. Wonderful!

Yes, this book presents an Anglo perspective of Napoleon and his time in Europe. Still, the work of the Durans is fantastic as it captures historical elements from sources as diverse as visual arts, philosophy, literature as well as the customs of the time. The work is also rich in research and references, presenting numerous scripts from Napoleon himself and his subordinates.After reading this book, I was encouraged to buy the whole collection the Durans produced and I am very happy to have done so.

The Durant's have done an excellent job in capturing the flavor of the era of Napoleon. The book gives you an excellent overview of military, social, religious, philosophic, and moral attitudes of the day. One should keep in mind, however, that the book is an overview and thus does not deal too deeply with any one subject. This should not be seen as a flaw however but a product of the aim of the work, to summarize the conditions during Napoleon's time. The book is easy to read and is written to be understood by the average reader. A definite must have for any French history or Napoleon buff.

This book is a good book for the Napoleon scholar, but for general reading is too detailed. However, it is a very well researched book and a nice history on Napoleon and his time.