Napoleonic Fair 1999

Throughout the year I attend lectures and conferences run by others, organise and present many myself, and attend reenactments around the country, as well as spending many a happy day at the British Library or Public Records Office. While my time is kept full of the things I enjoy doing, my Napoleonic year does not really start until February, when the Napoleonic Fair is held in London.

This annual event is run by Greenhill Books, with Lionel Leventhal at its head, and always proves to be a successful and enjoyable event. It is now in its sixth year, and has been at the same venue Royal National Hotel, Bedford Way, London, since its inception. I spend a lot of my time during the Fair on the ticket desk alongside other stalwart volunteers, helping to relieve Napoleonic enthusiasts of some of their cash in exchange for admission. This way I get to meet a lot of the people attending, including many of the well-known names in the field of Napoleonic research. It is evident to me that this event is an important part of the Napoleonic calendar for many people with an interest in the period, be it via books, model soldiers, Wargames , re-enactment, tours or any other aspect of the study of the period.

This Fair is so popular now, that enthusiasts come from the Continent and from the USA and Canada to attend, not only to add to their collections but also to meet fellow historians. Greenhill have sent me some of the comments they have received regarding this year's Fair.

"A superb event". Bill Hurlbutt, President, The Napoleonic Alliance (USA).

"The Napoleonic Fair just gets better and better each time it is held". Andrew Copestake, Old Guard Corporation. Richard Brown, of Ken Trotman Ltd. said "There is no other Fair like this. The people who come are real enthusiasts, prepared to buy collectible books".

Ian Fletcher, exhibiting at the Fair for the first time as Ian Fletcher Battlefield Tours stated "It's a great opportunity to see potential tour participants, the people who read my books, and other authors, all in one place". Nancy Kirkham of booksellers W.E.Hersant, agreed that the presence of authors at the Fair is a definite advantage: "One of the reasons we did well with A Close Run Thing this year was that Alan Mallinson, the author, was on hand to sign copies.

Each Napoleonic Fair has included sentries posted by the Napoleonic Association to add period colour to the event. Bill Hurlbutt continues, "I was very impressed by the Napoleonic Fair, by the attendees and the exhibitors. The re- enactors were excellent!".

Indeed, many re-enactors of the Napoleonic Association regard the Fair as the first main event of the season, where they can meet fellow re-enactors and discuss plans for the coming season of battle displays.

Matt De La Mater, Editor-in-Chief of the USA magazine Napoleon (a publication well worth taking a look at!) remarked that the Fair was "...a wonderful, unique event with a very nice blend of booksellers, a wide range of other exhibitors, and reenactors. There has been a fine congenial and good atmosphere. The Napoleonic Fair is fabulous, and a great excuse to come to London.

The price of admission includes a copy of a programme that is a very useful item in itself. Its pages list the programme of lectures for the day and always include a Napoleonic Events Diary for the coming year, which in itself makes it a useful publication to keep. I find it very useful because it lists all the exhibitors, including Caliver Books, whose stand is always worth a visit. I frequently refer to this programme when I am looking for a particular trader. Over 50 traders and historical organisations exhibited at the Fair this year.

One of the attractions is a programme of lectures throughout the day. This year saw Colonel John Elting present A Disrespectful Look at Military History in which he ranged over history from Ancient to Modern with his distinctive humour and viewpoints. He spoke for nearly an hour to an audience of over two hundred people. Afterwards Colonel Elting signed copies of the new edition of his A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars (co- authored with Vincent J.Esposito). Christopher Duffy gave a talk on Suvorov's campaign in Switzerland in 1799, which conveyed the dramatic feel of the incredible terrain that the armies fought over, afterwards signing copies of his new book Eagles Over The Alps, about Suvorov's campaign in Italy and Switzerland.

Meet the Author was a session in which eight well known authors were available for conversation and to sign copies of their books. These dignitaries were David Chandler, Rene Chartrand, Ian Fletcher, Paddy Griffith, Peter Hofschroer, Digby Smith and Andrew Uffindell and John Elting. Later in the day La Garde Imperial presented a demonstration of Napoleonic uniforms, weapons and equipment.

Wargaming was also a feature of the Fair, with Stuart Asquith acting as the Wargames Director. There were four games on show. The Loughton Strike Force staged The Last Attack of the Imperial Guard at Waterloo on some very impressive scenery which recreated the central area of the battlefield. This was a particularly popular game which had an attentive audience around the table throughout the day. The naval Wargames Society fought the Battle of Aboukir Bay 1798 using some beautifully and painstakingly finished 1: 1200 scale Napoleonic ships. This game was supported both by static display boards and a well-constructed PC-based display.

The Napoleonic Wargamers led by Dave Marks gamed the Battle of Talavera 1809 using several thousand 1:300 scale figures on an extensive and eye-catching 12 foot by 6 foot table. An Introduction to Wargaming was presented by the Rayners Lane Wargames Club using 54mm toy soldiers. The idea was to present the basic Wargame to an essentially non-Wargaming audience and invite them to try their hand.

The Napoleonic Fair acted as a magnet for people who have other interests in the period. The Napoleonic Association organised an invitation for two producers from David Grubin Productions of New York to attend, to help with their research for a major four hour series on the life of Napoleon to be filmed over the next year and screened in the USA in 2000. "When we saw the list of people who were attending - all the major authors - we had to come over" said senior producer Allyson Luchak. As part of their research they had extensive talks with members of the Napoleonic Association, as well as John Elting, Christopher Duffy, Paddy Griffith and David Chandler. They will be including film of re-enactors from the Association to illustrate the story of Napoleon.

All in all the 1999 Napoleonic Fair was a very successful event and enjoyed by all who participated. The 2000 Fair is provisionally scheduled for Sunday 20 February. Details will be published in this magazine as they become available. If you have never been to this event, make next year a date in your diary. You will not be disappointed.

JOMINI AND THE OCCULT

Lionel Leventhal of Greenhill Books publishes a regular Greenhill Military Book News. It provides information on recently published Greenhill Books, reviews and details of his forthcoming attractions,

I was amused by a short item in the March issue, from which Lionel has given me permission to quote. Apparently, Viacom Productions Inc recently asked Greenhill if they could use Baron Jomini's The Art of War as a prop in a forthcoming episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. For those of you who don't have children who watch Saturday morning kid's tv, Sabrina (played by Melissa Joan Hart) is a half-witch attempting to live as normal a life as possible whilst attending an American High School. She is looked after by her two aunts, Zelda and Hilda, and has a talking black cat as her familiar.

The cat was originally Salem Saberhagen, a warlock changed into a domestic pet by the witches' council for the offence of trying to take over the world. The Jomini volume is shown when the two aunts are going through Salem's storage trunk. As Lionel says, Greenhill is often asked if companies can use quotations or for translation rights, but this is the first time they have dealt with product placement!

Incidentally, if anyone wants to know more about subscribing to Greenhill Military Book News, they should write for details to Greenhill Books, Lionel Leventhal Limited, Park House, I Russell Gardens, London NW I I 9NN. The fax number is 0181 905 5245

Announcement of the 1998 Literary awards International Napoleonic Society

During the Year ten volumes were submitted to The International Napoleonic Society for the annual prize. Following the evaluations of a committee composed of David Chandler, Robert Holtman, David Markham, Jeanne Ojala, John Severn and D.D. Horward, they are pleased to announce that, these awards have been made:

First Prize of $2,500 is awarded to David Gates for his volume. The Napoleonic Wars, 1803-1815, published by Arnold Publishers and St. Martin's Press.

Second Prize of $1,500 is awarded to Ronald Ridley for his volume, Napoleon's Proconsul in Egypt: The Life and Times of Bernardino Drovetti, published by Rubicon Press of London.