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

Lieven, Dominic

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0143118862 ISBN 13: 9780143118862

Publisher: Penguin Books, 2011

Synopsis

The first history of the epic defeat of Napoleon's empire told from the Russian perspective.

Though much has been written about Napoleon's doomed invasion of Russia and the collapse of the French Empire that ensued, virtually all of it has been from the Western perspective. Now, taking advantage of never- before-seen documents from the Russian archives, Dominic Lieven upends much of the conventional wisdom about the events that formed the backdrop of Tolstoy's masterpiece, War and Peace. Lieven's riveting narrative sweeps readers through epic battles, tense diplomatic exchanges on which the fate of nations hung, and the rise of Russia from near-ruin to Europe's liberator. Rich in detail, Russia Against Napoleon is a groundbreaking masterwork.

About this title

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)

From the Publisher:

Winner of the 2009 Wolfson Prize for History & shortlisted for Duff Cooper Prize

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0143118862
• ISBN 13: 9780143118862
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 688