Just as this issue was about to be sent to the printer, we learned of the death of Colonel John Robert Elting, renowned American Napoleonic scholar, staff member, mentor, and friend. Rather than wait three additional months to publish an appropriate eulogy, we chose to delay this issue to compile the tributes which begin on page 55. Elting's death at the age of 89 is staggering to all of us who were fortunate to know this knowledgeable and gifted man. He was a World War II combat veteran, teacher, and author. Our world is a poorer place without his wonderful sense of humor, experience and wisdom. Christopher Duffy, the subject of our eighth interview of outstanding Napoleonic scholars in this issue, remembered that John Elting "was the real hit of the London Napoleonic Fair [this past February] -- I abandoned the preset questions during our seminar as soon as I saw he was in such tremendous form, and he was able to take up and run with everything that was thrown at him. He had such a capacity for fun as well -- a genuine inspiration and reprimand for anyone who thinks he ought to be borne down by advancing years." Lionel Leventhal of Greenhill Books, who felt keenly privileged to work closely with Colonel Elting on many projects including the recent reprint of Elting's classic atlas, knew first-hand how many budding scholars and authors Colonel Elting helped to mentor. "No one had John Elting's perspective, his wit, his overall range of knowledge of the Napoleonic era, or his practical application of that knowledge. Think of how many writers he helped to foster. This is an enormous loss. He was a national treasure." Back to Table of Contents -- Napoleon #16 Back to Napoleon List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2001 by Napoleon LLC. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. The full text and graphics from other military history magazines and gaming magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com Order Napoleon magazine direct