Russia Against Napoleon: The True Story of the Campaigns of War and Peace

Lieven, Dominic

ISBN 10: 0670021571 / ISBN 13: 9780670021574

Published by Viking Press, New York, New York, U.S.A., 2010

About this Item

618pp/illus/maps. The story of one of the most astonishing dramas in Europe's history. In the summer of 1812 after years of uneasy peace, Napoleon, the master of almost the whole continent, marched into Russia with the largest army ever assembled, confident that he would sweep everything before him. Less than two years later the Russian army was itself marching into Paris and Napoleon's empire lay in ruins. Clean. Seller Inventory # 009437

Bibliographic Details

Title: Russia Against Napoleon: The True Story of ...

Publisher: Viking Press, New York, New York, U.S.A.

Publication Date: 2010

Binding: Hard Cover

Condition: As New

Dust Jacket Condition: As New

Edition: 1st Printing

About this title

Synopsis:

A major new history of the Russian conflict immortalized by Tolstoy in War and Peace

Russia's expulsion of Napoleon's Grande Armée in 1812 is considered one of the most dramatic events in European history. However, Tolstoyan myth and an imbalance of British and French interpretations have clouded most Westerners' understanding of Russia's role in the defeat of Napoleon.

Based on a fresh examination of Russian military archives, Russia Against Napoleon provides the first-ever history of the period told from the Russian perspective. In Dominic Lieven's account, Russia's victory in 1812 was just the beginning of what would be the longest military campaign in European history, marked by Russia's epic efforts to feed and supply half a million troops as they crossed an entire continent.

Moving from the 1807 treaty signed by Napoleon and Tsar Alexander I through the Russian army's improbable entry into Paris in 1814, Lieven provides suspenseful accounts of events, such as the burning of Moscow and the great battles of Leipzig and Borodino, as well as astute analyses of the great military strategists of the time. The result is a magisterial work sure to be eagerly anticipated by military and history buffs alike.

Review:

Winner of the 2009 Wolfson Prize for History and shortlisted for the Duff Cooper Prize (various)

A compulsive page-turner ... a triumph of brilliant storytelling ... an instant classic that is an awesome, remarkable and exuberant achievement (Simon Sebag Montefiore Evening Standard)

Radically alters our assumptions about how Napoleon was beaten (Andrew Roberts Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year)

(He creates) an historic canvas that is both overwhelming and meticulous ... he inevitably touches the nerve points of modern power politics. (The Economist)

A compulsive read. This master storyteller and scholar has written an instant classic that is awesome, remarkable and exuberant. (Simon Sebag Montefiore The Scotsman)

An essential reference ... the Princess would have approved. (The Spectator)

(An) erudite, monumental piece of historial research ... it's a great tale with a clear argument, baked by an impressive array of sources and detail. (Charles Clover Financial Times)

A superbly crafted book (Alexander M. Martin TLS)

A lucid and detailed account (Geoffrey Hosking London Review of Books)