Product Description

Alistair Horne begins his absorbing account by examining Napoleon's rise to prominence against the background of the French Revolution. He describes Napoleon's brilliance as a general and strategist, culminating in the Battle of Austerlitz, one of the greatest military campaigns of all times. He goes on to discuss the cultural achievements of the Napoleonic era both in France and abroad before charting Napoleon's downfall and his bitter defeat at Waterloo in 1815. The book ends with a discussion of Napoleon's legacy and the myths that have sprung up around this most controversial of French leaders. Horne's book is popular history at its very best - a gripping narrative, enriched by fascinating anecdotes, told by one of the world's leading authorities on the subject.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #340554 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-08
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

HERALD
"Accessible and an interesting read."

Review
"a short but vibrant account... a cultured, enjoyable introduction to the man and the mark he left on France. Horne sports his research lightly, the pigments of his narrative and illustration are vivid, the vignettes swiftly and confidently drawn " (BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE )

"Alistair Horne's The Age of Napoleon is a race through Napoleon's career, not such much as military leader as the maker of modern France. Horne gets the essentials of Napoleon right." (THE SPECTATOR )

" A delightful book, brimming over with contagious enthusiasm for its subject... Horne writes with all the authority of one who knows his subject inside out, and his mastery of telling detail is admirable." (ADAM ZAMOYSKI SUNDAY TIMES )

"Even those of us who think we know something about the period will find many delightful surprises... In short, it is the perfect read for someone who asks the question: apart from being a great general, what did Napoleon stand for?" (MARK URBAN THE GUARDIAN )

"Erudite, expert and unfussy, it tells you all you need to know about the modern world's first great dictator and places him in illuminating social and cultural context." (HAM AND HIGH )

"Horne's consistently fascinating snapshot of this momentous time and place is compelling from start to finish." (EVERYTHING FRANCE )

"excellent... deals with every aspect of the tyrant's career other than the brutal wars he imposed on his neighbours and indeed on his own people." (CLAUS VON BULOW CATHOLIC HERALD )

"Accessible and an interesting read." (HERALD )

"The lives of everyday citizens and important court figures from the tumultuous reign of Napoleon" (HISTORY TODAY )

EVERYTHING FRANCE
"Horne's consistently fascinating snapshot of this momentous time and place is compelling from start to finish."

Customer Reviews

It serves its purpose ...
... of introducing the reader to an age of radical change that continues to have repercussions to this day. This is not a biography of the man himself - as the author makes clear in his introduction - but focusses instead on his times and his influence. Having said that, there is much here on the man himself: not a concise biography, to be sure, but the book is generously sprinkled with his words and deeds, from defeating his enemies in battle to the time it took for him to eat a meal and his views on theatre, women and architecture.

And this is the value of the book. Each chapter concentrates on a particular aspect of Napoleonic society and gives a concise resume of the issues involved and their legacy. Subjects covered include politics and administration, motivation, gender, architecture, decorative and sartorial fashion. There is, unfortunately, very little on science or, especially, on the development of weapons and transportation. And there is little too on industry, though there are some pages devoted to trade and commerce.

The book is not free of minor errors: page 30 explains Cadoudal's execution in 1804, only for page 31 to say that he faced the scaffold in 1805! There is the odd typo error too - Napoleon signed a majestic degree on page 134. And there's the odd reference to Hortense de Beauharnais being Josephine's sister-in-law on page 28. Quite so, but perhaps more importantly in this context, Hortense was also Josephine's daughter.

But don't let any of this put you off reading this book. The author has a fine and engaging style that draws you in and transforms what might initially seem a dry-as-dust topic into a personal tour of a glittering era. His knowledge of the era and of French history in general is clearly profound and I found the book a delight to read.