The Duke and The Emperor
Wellington and Napoleon
by John Strawson
Reviewed by Dave Watkins
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Publisher: Constable £16.95 320pp, 12 pages black & white illus-trations, 7 maps Essentially we have here two biographies in a single book, that attempts to parallel the lives of Wellington and Napoleon. Both being born in 1769, there is some logic to this. I found it hard to settle into The Duke and The Emperor, having little available time for reading as it is, picking up and putting it down meant several unintentional rereads, because as it moves from one subject to the other I found it hard to keep track. That said, during a rare two hour session I found myself entertained and informed - but not educated. There is little new or unusual in this book, but then again after 150+ years and countless other books on the principals how could there be? What is so good about this title is that, although there is little new material, it appears that everything pertinent is covered in some detail. Should you be that rare bird that is a devotee of both characters then The Duke and The Emperor could save you buying several titles. I recommend this book if you are new to the period also, as it quickly fills in the background for you. If you already have several titles on either W. or N. then you may find it hard to justify the expense despite it being a very reasonable £16.95 Recommended. More Reviews
British Artists & War: The Face of Battle in Paintings and Prints Napoleon's Irish Legions Old Glory Special figure packs House Rules Napoleonic: 2nd Edition Red Coats and Grey Jackets: Chippewa 1814 The Duke and Emperor Napoleon's Generals Napoleon and Iberia Eagles Last Triumph Figure: Bicorne 25mm Napoleonic Prints: Napoleonic Cartoon "Novelty" Prints Back to Table of Contents -- First Empire #20 Back to First Empire List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1995 by First Empire. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com |