Napoleonic Uniforms: v. 1 & 2 - Hardcover

John R. Elting

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 185367737X ISBN 13: 9781853677373

Publisher: Greenhill Books, 2007

Synopsis

No other period in history has produced such magnificent uniforms as those worn by the soldiers involved in the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleonic Uniforms is the only reference work of its kind to depict accurately the entire Grande Armée in detail. It portrays the French armies as seen by their contemporaries, and combines authoritative text with lavish illustrations. This superb two-volume set depicts in magnificent colour the uniforms of the Royal Army, Emigrant Troops, Revolutionary Armies, and the Army of Egypt. The new edition will be presented in a cloth bound slipcase. Herbert Knötel's plates, recognised by uniform specialists as being amongst the best and most accurate, fully capture all the beauty, verve and swagger of this colourful episode in military history. With more than nine hundred plates, each with an authoritative caption by Colonel John Elting, Napoleonic Uniforms is the standard source of reference on the uniforms of Napoleon's allies and opponents. Colonel John R. Elting was the foremost expert on Napoleon's Grande Armée and the armies of the Napoleonic period; his books include the acclaimed Swords Around a Throne and, with Vincent J. Esposito, the authoritative A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars. Herbert Knötel was an acclaimed illustrator of military uniforms from a distinguished family of artists and historians. John H. Gill is the author of With Eagles to Glory: Napoleon and his German Allies in the 1809 Campaign and the forthcoming Thunder on the Danube: Napoleon's Defeat of the Habsburgs.

About this title

Review:

Indispensable to anyone seriously interested in the subject --Library Journal (USA)

Colonel Elting's, Napoleonic Uniforms is possible one of the most complete and finest visual representation of the Uniforms of the First Empire epoch. Elting's annotations to each print contain some very interesting and useful information. I highly recommended the publication, which should be in every Napoleonic enthusiasts collection --Dave Watkins, First Empire magazine

The name of Knötel is synonymous with the study of the history of military uniforms. Richard Knötel (1857-1914) was among the first, and greatest, scholars who sought to research and record the military uniforms of the past, derived from contemporary sources . . . John Elting commissioned the watercolours that represent Herbert Knötel's great work, superbly presented in this Greenhill edition . . . Not only was Herbert Knötel an expert uniform historian, but he had himself served as a soldier in the Tannenberg campaign during World War I, and subsequently as a cavalry officer on the Eastern Front, experiences which must have informed his depiction of the soldiers from an earlier age. Combined with the expert commentary of Col. Elting, these volumes represent a remarkable view of the soldiers and armies of this renowned period --Philip Haythornthwaite

About the Author:

John Robert Elting was a soldier for thirty-five years (1933 1968), with a couple of civilian interludes as a high school instructor. His first commission had been from the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Stanford University in 1932. He combined this with summer duty in Company H (machine-guns), 163rd Infantry Regiment, Montana National Guard, and then as an officer in the Civilian Conservation Corps. In 1940 he became an ROTC instructor at Oregon State College. From then on he was continually in service until 1947 (71st Armored Field Artillery Battalion, the Tactics Department of the Armored School at Fort Knox, Combat Command B of the 8th Armored Division in the Rhineland, Ardennes, Alsace, and Central Europe campaigns, 24th Field Artillery Battalion of the Philippine Scouts). In 1948 he was recalled, after a short civilian interlude as a teacher, and was assigned to the Armed Forces Information School and, from there, to the Military Academy, West Point. In 1954 John Elting's turn for overseas duty came up and he was posted to the J-2 (Intelligence) Division of the Far East Command, returning to West Point in 1957. There he began researching and writing A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars, with Colonel Esposito acting as overall editor and advisor.  Between 1965 and 1968, Colonel Elting served as G-2 of the Washington Military District, before retiring in 1968. After his retirement, he turned his attention to writing and research (in his own modest words, he 'tried to be a historian'). He was a military consultant to Time Life Books for the World War II, Civil War, and Third Reich series. He was also the author, co-author or editor of sixteen books, including The Battles of Saratoga, American Army Life, A Dictionary of Soldier Talk, Swords Around a Throne and the four volumes of Napoleonic Uniforms. He took particular delight in the history of Napoleon's Army  and the French emperor's campaigns  and in the study of the American Revolution, but was a considerable authority on all aspects of military history. His knowledge was deep, and he gave generously of it, and for many he served as an inspiration.  After a short illness, he passed away suddenly, seated at his desk in his study, at home, on Thursday 25 May.

About this edition

• Publisher: Greenhill Books
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 185367737X
• ISBN 13: 9781853677373
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 424
• Illustrator: Herbert Knotel