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As the story goes on, the tragic inevitability of impending French defeat adds gravitas to de Marbot's perky tales. The retreat from Moscow, through the Russian winter, is brilliantly told: "the way was strewn with dead and dying; our march slow and silent. We had often to halt and clear away from the horse's bits the icicles formed by their frozen breath." By the time we get to Waterloo the reader's sympathies are very much with de Marbot. "I cannot get over our defeat," he says of that last battle, with a metaphor both baffling and strangely expressive: "we manoeuvred like so many pumpkins." Summerville's selections, linked with brisk historical summaries, are excellent; he picks out the best and most thrilling material, and contextualises it neatly amongst the amazing events of the war. You finish reading the book having been--that dream of historical writers--both entertained and educated. --Adam Roberts
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. 1st Carroll & Graf Edition. This specific paperback book is in new condition with a cover that has sharp edges and corners and has a tight binding. The pages are clean, crisp, unmarked and uncreased. We package all books in custom cardboard book boxes for shipment and ship daily with tracking numbers.; "Both the inspiration and the sourcebook for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Brigadier Gerard stories, this hugely entertaining account of the Napoleonic Wars was written by a young officer about the action he saw, the adventures he experienced, the battles he fought, and the escapes he engineered in the campaigns that brought Napoleon and his armies to Waterloo. A vital and vibrant tale packed with bravado, duels, deceptions, and no lack of derring-do, it recounts in authentic detail and with compelling immediacy the careers that Napoleonic soldiers made of military perils, personal risks, and tactical maneuvers in the service of an imperial France. Originally published in France as a two-volume set under the title The Adventures of Baron de Marbot, the exploits of the man who was promoted to the rank of general on the eve of Waterloo appear here for the first time in a one-volume English edition. Not only has this classic soldier's memoir been discreetly edited to heighten the narrative of de Marbot's colorfully picaresque and anecdotal tale, but also expert commentary and essential background materials have been added to make the book's lively history more accessible, and the fascinating biography more illuminative for contemporary readers. "The first of all soldier books in the world - which gives us the best picture by far of the Napoleonic soldiers." - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle"; 5.5 X 1 X 8.5 inches; 320 pages. Seller Inventory # 26490
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