Death or Victory: The Battle of Quebec and the Birth of an Empire (History of Canada) - Softcover

Snow, Dan

4.3

113 ratings by Goodreads

9780143055969: Death or Victory: The Battle of Quebec and the Birth of an Empire (History of Canada)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0143055968 ISBN 13: 9780143055969

Publisher: Penguin Group Canada, 2011

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Perched atop a tall promontory and surrounded on three sides by the treacherous St. Lawrence River, Quebec City forms an almost impregnable natural fortress. But in 1759, with the Seven Years War raging around the globe, the capital city of New France came under attack. With the irascible British general James Wolfe in command, a force of more than 100 ships carrying nearly 9,000 men navigated the river, scaled the cliffs, and laid siege to the town in an audacious attempt to expel the French from North America forever.

It would be a brutal battle, with British soldiers confronting the troops commanded by the French general, the marquis de Montcalm. They were on unfamiliar terrain and facing extreme weather, a colonial militia, and experienced First Nations warriors.

Using original research and multiple perspectives, Dan Snow grippingly describes the events that would reshape North America and, eventually, change the British Empire forever. Death or Victory is history—military, political and human history—told on an epic and thrilling scale.

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Review:

'Many of us wondered whether Dan Snow could make the transition from fluent TV presenter to serious historian. This hugely impressive work confirms his triumphant arrival on the scene. It is by far the best account yet written of a campaign that helped shape North America, and is a fitting tribute on the 250th anniversary of that “wonderful year” 1759' Richard Holmes

"Dan Snow is perhaps more familiar from television....this, his first book, proves him to be a master military historian in the making. Its grasp of detail is prodigious" Daily Express

"lively and thoughtful...fascinating stuff....one of the book's strengths is its vivid portrayal of the physical backdrop against which the campaign unfolded" Literary Review

About the Author:

DAN SNOW has researched, written and presented documentaries on British and world history for the BBC, including the BAFTA-award-winning Battlefield Britain. He has contributed to BBC History Magazine, The Times, The Guardian, Express, and Sunday Times. He was born in Canada and lives in London, England.

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