The Napoleonic Wars (Cassell History of Warfare)

If you are interested in the Napoleonic Era and European history in general, this book is highly recommended as a ready reference guide. Like any convenient reference, it is best used as a quick refresher once a lot of more comprehensive reading has already yielded a rich background. The book is very sturdy. My copy has been to Europe about six to eight times and it is no worse the wear. It is also a nice size -- little more than a handful. The illustrations and maps are very colorful, all with much of the classic military art of the era to give a rich and classic feel to the book. I find myself reading and reviewing this book at train stations and airports. When I want a quick note for something I am writing or thinking, I usually go looking for this little gem first. Even if I don't find what I am looking for the book reminds me of the best places to look further. The book is a very good value and has given me hours of pleasure -- not only for its content, but also for its utility.

Rothenberg does about as good a job as can be expected condensing a subject as vast as Napoleonic Wars into a relatively small volume.

This is a neat little book, with a nice variety of illustrations and a compact but very readable text. In only 217 pages, the author cannot and does not get bogged down in details. The work is intended only as an introduction and overview of the wars, which is all most American readers need. Personally, I knew almost nothing about the Napoleonic wars, and was just looking for some background in order to better enjoy novels and movies set during the period. This work met that need admirably, and I plowed through it in a couple of evenings. Enthusiasts of the period will learn little from this, but again this book is not aimed at them. For those wanting more detail, and who are willing to spend the time it takes to study this period in detail, there are many longer works, including some by this author, as well as by Chandler, Esposito, Elting, etc. There are also excellent longer works dealing with specific campaigns, such as Austerlitz, Jena, Wagram, the 1812 Debacle in Russia, the Penninsular war, etc. But if you are looking for a brief, readable, and well illustrated introduction, this book will do the trick.

Napoleon Bonaparte influenced warfare more than any other figure of his age, and arguably more than any other figure of history. He almost conquered Europe, and his influence spread through society in a myriad of ways, from sugar beet production (which he stimulated) to tactics (which he influenced but did not reinvent). This book concentrates on the military aspects of his influence, and the wars he beget over the last dozen years of his influence, 1803-15.Cassell has a number of these histories out now, short books lavishly illustrated with pictures and beautiful maps. The Napoleonic Wars covers the central events of Europe 1803-15. The book begins with two chapters that summarize events before the period the book focuses on, and Napoleon's life before that era. We then get five chapters, about a hundred and fifty pages of narrative recounting the major campaigns of the wars of Napoleon. Each of the campaigns only gets a few pages, and battles often only are briefly mentioned. When there's more detail, as at Waterloo, the narrative still moves quickly and only a few pages suffice to recount what happened. Rothenberg is one of the better-known historians of the Napoleonic age. His main point here (and he's made the point elsewhere) is that these wars weren't the last wars of the classical age, but the first ones of the modern one. I would submit that in ways they were both, but that's more of a nuance than an actual difference of opinion. The points he makes are generally well-reasoned, and the narrative tends to support them.Books that deal with Napoleon tend to divide into two groups: those that praise him to the heavens, and those that are critical of him, to a lesser or greater extent. This book falls into the latter category, though the criticisms are generally gentle. The few other soldiers who get some attention (Wellington, Archduke Charles, and Blucher) are only cursorily covered.The maps are gorgeous, and illustrate the narrative pretty well. I would recommend this book to the casual reader who wished to know something more about the Wars of this era.

This work in the Cassell History of Warfare series edited by noted historian John Keegan concerns the Napoleonic Period. A phase of military history notable for large armies, the rise of nationalism as a motivating force, and the development of a class of professional officers who actually began to study and reconsider military theory. Rothenburg does an admirable job in covering these ideas and giving a broad survey of the major campaigns, weapon systems, and military theories. For the more serious specialist readers, books about specific campaigns and battles (i.e the endless number concerning Waterloo) can fill in the fine details. For the academically minded, David Chandler's classic Campaigns of Napoleon remains definitive, but only focuses on the Emperor. In short: excellent for the non-specialist browser who might be curious in the conflicts which led to the creation of modern Europe.