One of the most fascinating accounts of a British soldier's life during the Napoleonic Wars was that told by Private William Wheeler of the 51st Regiment of Foot. He was an educated man who wrote regular letters to his family whilst he was on campaign in the Peninsula and at Waterloo. His letters relate life in the army during times of peace, while in garrison in France in 1815, in Britain the following year, and on the Ionian Islands during the 1820s.

These letters present a very descriptive and often amusing story of a soldier's life, and include '"heeler's views on the people and places he saw. For example, he describes Louis XVIII as 'an old bloated poltroon'! Many of his letters relate stories of his coming across old friends in other regiments and the good times they had together over a tankard of good ale and a good pipe of tobacco.

The letters were first published in the 1950s, edited by Captain Basil Liddell Hart, titled The Letters of Private Wheeler: 1809- 1828. They have been re-published by The Windrush Press, priced at Y 15.99. The letters are placed in their historical context by additional text by Captain Liddell Hart, and represent an absorbing, entertaining and very readable soldier's account. If you like personal accounts of the period, then this one is a must.

Windrush have also published The Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier by Jakob Walter, price 0 1.99. Walter was an 18-year old German conscripted into the army of Wurttemburg in 1806. He fought in the campaign of 1807-09 against Austria, Prussia and Russia; and again in the disastrous Russian campaign. His is a story of a simple soldier's desire to survive and return to his home and family. The narrative details the privations and dangers suffered on the retreat from Russia, and his final journey to his home village in 1813, suffering from the effects of cold and hunger. A very readable account of life in Napoleon's Grande Armee.

While the likes of Jakob Walter were suffering in the Russian campaign, the Duchesse D'Abrantes was.playing host to a colourful and flamboyant Parisian Society. She was the wife of General Junot and played a major role at the court of Napoleon and Josephine. Windrush have published her memoirs, entitled At the Court of Napoleon - Memoirs of the Duchesse D'Abrantes, priced at £ 9.99 (paperback). This was a woman who recorded the intimacies of the Imperial family, their amorous intrigues, and their constant feuds for more wealth and power. This was a woman whom Napoleon attempted to seduce, but failed. The book relates anecdotes about the royal families of Europe, the ceremonial occasions she attended, and details of the social aspects of the period, such as clothing and meals. When reading about the campaigns of the time we tend to forget that there was a social side to the period. This book redresses the balance. An interesting and fascinating read.

Many books are published throughout the year that fill gaps in our knowledge about the Napoleonic period, but only relatively few of them become classic works, to be referred to time and again. Napoleonic Uniforms by John R. Elting falls into this category. This is a two- volume work, illustrated by Herbert Knotel, and published by Greenhill at a price of £ 150 for the set. This is expensive (but works out at only about 16 pence per colour plate), however you are paying for a superb reference work on the uniforms of Napoleon's army.

Colonel Elting commissioned Herbert Knotel to produce a comprehensive collection of colour illustrations of all aspects of the French army. Knotel's artwork has brought the soldiers of the period to life in great detail. This collection has been brought together with some basic historical text to produce the most detailed study of these troops that has ever been published. The two volumes contain over 900 colour plates, illustrating such topics as the pre- Revolutionary Royal Army, Revolutionary Troops, La Grande Armee and the Royal Army of 1814-30. All aspects of the armies are covered, including Foreign Troops, National Guards, Service Troops to name but a few. If you have an interest in the French Army of a particular period of the Napoleonic Wars, then this work will give you as much information and detail as you could hope to find anywhere. This work is a limited edition of 300 sets, and it is well worth asking your bank manager/other half for the money to buy it. Highly recommended.

Greenhill have also published Napoleon's Conquest of Prussia 1806 by F. Loraine Petre, price £ 19.50. This is a reprint of a classic work by this respected historian, covering Napoleon's brilliant campaign of Jena-Auerstadt. The book includes campaign maps and is written in the detailed style that was typical of Petre.

Of the works that have been published over the years on the Peninsula War, the one that stands out as a classic reference work is that by William Napier, who first published his eyewitness account of the conflict in 1836. Constable have republished all six volumes of the History of the War in the Peninsula and in the South of France, at a price of £ 19.95 per volume.

The work is extremely descriptive and looks at a famous campaign in great detail. The appendices include the returns for the Anglo- Portugese and French armies involved, together with letters and despatches of Napoleon, Wellington and the French commanders in that theatre. This reprint enables the modern enthusiast, be he/she an historian or wargamer, to acquire a classic reference work. If you are a serious student of the period, then this work is an essential purchase. Strongly recommended.

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