Rating: 
Summary: Excellent work!
Review: Dr. David G. Chandler's "The Campaigns of Napoleon" has been in print for over thirty years. There must be some reason why it has remained so important and popular. In simple terms it is a masterpiece. In fact it has on numerous occasions been recognized as one of the most important books on Napoleon throughout modern times. It has of late been recognized by le Général de Gaulle in 1967 and later in 2002 by President Vladimir Putin.
David, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society of London and "the doyen of modern Napoleonic historians", is the former Head of the Department of War Studies at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. He is also the author of numerous other books including: Napoleon, Napoleon's Marshals and Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars.
Each of the aforementioned works will be reviewed in time. However, this in-depth review is concerned primarily with the exceptional and scientific achievement of Dr. Chandler's The Campaigns of Napoleon.
The work is extensive and covers over 1216 pages and weighs nearly 4 pounds. The text, however, is not fluff but is full of the most scholarly data found on the 60 battles of Napoleon's Campaigns. The book, although large is extremely readable and possesses a clarity of presentation and understanding. David attempted in this extensive work to cover with great detail every aspect of Napoleon's military career. Alas at times the work is a little dry but never boring. The text easily carries the reader from page to page and chapter to chapter. The work never missed its mark.
According to the Editorial Reviews "Napoleonic war was nothing if not complex -- an ever-shifting kaleidoscope of moves and intentions, which by themselves went a long way towards baffling and dazing his conventionally-minded opponents into that state of disconcerting moral disequilibrium which so often resulted in their catastrophic defeat."
David seems to paint a vivid historical picture which brings the reader closer with each page to the thoughts, feeling and decisions of Napoleon. An extensive analysis of the campaigns aids the reader in clarifying Napoleon's military intelligence and war strategies.
Some reviewers state that due to Chandlers' British rearing he was bias and always against the decisions of Napoleon and Napoleon the man. However, I believe that the author saw Napoleon as one of the most important men in military history. I see the book as a well balanced thesis on the various textures and colours of Napoleon the man and the varied aspects of the Napoleonic war. It is certainly not bias.
"The book opens with a brief account of Bonaparte's early years, his military education and formative experiences, and his meteoric rise to the rank of general in the army of the Directory. Introducing the elements of Napoleonic "grand tactics" as they developed in his Italian, Egyptian, and Syrian campaigns, Mr. Chandler shows how these principles were clearly conceived as early as the Battle of Castiglione, when Napoleon was only twenty -six. Several campaigns later, he was Emperor of France, busily constructing the Grande Armée."
A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars by Brigadier General Esposito and Colonel Elting, although in some ways a more descriptive work on Napoleon's military campaigns, merely assists in filling in any gaps which Dr. Chandler may have missed. It is NOT better, just different. Neither book, regardless of its size is a true definitive work on the campaigns. Smaller works, containing only one campaign, although providing greater individual campaign insight do not possess the broad balance and military contrast needed to gain any true awareness of the military achievements of Napoleon.
The book is an excellent reference tool and should be on the bookshelf of any Napoleonic historian. However I also, like Kevin F. Kiley, noted the questionable references used including: "Jomini's work, Liddell Hart's dubious tomes, Marmont's and MacDonald's memoirs, and the dubious memoirs of Bourrienne, which are mendacious and quite worthless, as well as Thiebault's inaccurate ghost written memoirs"
I fear, however, to give this books a bad review shows ignorance of the topic, a poor reading of the text or a total lack of interest in Napoleon. As Gerald Tamura stated in his review, "Most who do will not need to buy another book that covers Napoleon's entire military career. They can spend their hard earned money buying books on Napoleon's individual campaigns, battles, personalities and naval warfare."
Dr. Carl Edwin Lindgren, DEd
Prof of Military History
Member of the Royal Historical Society & Fellow of the International Napoleonic Society
Rating: 
Summary: Missing the Mark
Review: Exhaustive, authoritative, monumental, The Campaigns of Napoleon is not the definitive operational study of Napoleon's campaigns. That designation goes to A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars by Brigadier General Esposito and Colonel Elting which came out two years prior to Chandler's work.This large volume, however, is a valuable book and it is highly recommended to have on every Napoleonic book shelf. Most of the information contained in the volume can be used with confidence, and it is an excellent research tool. Napoleon's Correspondence has been thoroughly used throughout the book, but some dubious resources have also been referenced, such as Jomini's work, Liddell Hart's dubious tomes, Marmont's and MacDonald's memoirs, and the dubious memoirs of Bourrienne, which are mendacious and quite worthless, as well as Thiebault's inaccurate ghost written memoirs, and Thiers inaccurate work. The section of the book entitled Napoleon's Art of War needs to be used with care. The author tries just a little too hard to systemize Napoleon's method of making war, and generally denigrates the abilities of his subordinates, without whom he could never have achieved as much as he did. The general indicators tend to try and convince the reader that Napoleon didn't train his subordinates in the higher military art. This is incorrect. Those generals that formed his hand-picked generals aides-de-camp, who were all experts in their particular military specialty were all trained by the Emperor in his art of war, and were expected to show initiative and were able to carry out independent missions without supervision. Some of the senior generals and marshals, such as Davout, Suchet, Lannes, St. Cyr, and Massena, were either as skilled as their Emperor, or had military skills of their own. Additionally, the author attempts to throw some doubt on the French generals leading from the front, which they invariably did-one need only look at the casualty lists for the general officers of the period to verify that point. Grouchy was wounded 23 times in 25 years, Oudinot 34 times. Lannes took ten wounds in 60 battles. Napoleon himself was wounded three times and had nineteen horses shot out from under him. Napoleon's understanding of the art of war was both 'cerebral and visceral.' When the acknowledged principals of the military art didn't quite fit a certain situation, Napoleon's innate understanding as both a soldier and a general usually held him in good stead. This is where the author misses the mark in this huge work-he doesn't convey to the reader just why Napoleon was both a skilled soldier and a great general, he simply tries to 'codify' his way of making war, which with Napoleon really isn't possible, in my opinion. The author does admire Napoleon very much, and tries very hard not to. He does characterize Napoleon's final defeat, though, as a giant being pulled down by pygmies, which I found to be very profound and quite accurate. This book is recommended, and everyone should have it. However, if you are only going to own one book on the Napoleonic Wars, this one is not it-A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars is.
Rating: 
Summary: Perhaps the most over-rated book on Napoleon EVER!!
Review: For all the publicity this book has received, it is nothing more than a re-write of T.A. Dodge's 4-volume work, NAPOLEON. Even worse, the author's decidedly pro-British outlook relies on unreliable sources that paint Napoleon in the worse possible light. Mistakes abound. A picture in the book of a French cannon describes it as a French 8-pounder captured at Waterloo. While such slipshod work may pass with those not otherwise knowlegable, the French had NO 8-pounder cannon at Waterloo, they long having since switched over the the System Year XI ordnance in which the 6-pounder replaced the 8-pounder gun. What's more, Wellington's own DISPATCHES comfirms that of the captured ordnance taken at Waterloo, there were no 8-pounders, something which is confirmed by other, reputable works. In conclusion, this is useful as an introductory work ONLY, but use WITH CAUTION.
Rating: 
Summary: The Best Starting Point
Review: For anybody wanting just one book to discover the Napoleonic Wars, this has to be the one. It is comprehensive, well written and has many useful maps. As such, it is a most useful purchase. Although it was first written over thirty years ago and is a little dated, no attempts to supercede it have ever been successful. I suspect this work will remain a standard text for at least the next thirty years as well. Like all books, it has it faults. There are those that complain about it being anglocentric. Well, Chandler is British by birth and a graduate of Oxford, so it would be surprising if it wasn't. Would the book have been any better if it had been francocentric or sinocentric? Probably not. There are those that complain that Chandler sees Napoleon as a 'great man, but a great bad man'. It is suprising how many people admire grabbing, egocentric dictators that bring enormous suffering to the world. (I know, he left so many legacies to the world, like a legal system, roads, etc. but did so many people have to die for that?) The fact that Chandler devotes such a massive tome to the man surely indicates a little more than dislike? There are those that whine about minor errors of fact and typrographic errors in this book. Well, if they can do better, they should try. There are also those who complain about a lack of original research. Well, I challenge anybody to write such a massive tome based on primary sources only and complete it in one lifetime. That criticism is banal, to say the least. In all, a great classic, the best place to start for beginners to this period, a work that is not likely to be surpassed for some time, but not without a few minor faults.
Rating:
Summary: Focused but fascinating
Review: For once, the title of a book accurately describes its contents! This magisterial work is a summary of every campaign and battle in which Napoleon was a guiding force. It is a masterpiece of military history which illustrates how Napoleon accomplished his string of victories. Reading this work makes it clear that Napoleon was the original master of what is today called "maneuver warfare," and many of his tactical principles remain relevant even today. While the detailed treatment of the battles themselves is unmatched in other works, this book is not a particularly complete view of the Napoleonic Era. Writing the history from the perspective of Napoleon as battle commander has clear advantages, but also certain limitations. Chandler does not neglect strategic considerations, but his treatment of the larger diplomatic history of the Napoleonic Wars is a bit scanty. The naval war and the Peninsular War are only briefly sketched. And the political life of the First Empire in France is only discussed as it relates to the ability of Napoleon to wage his wars. None of these limitations detract from the value of Chandler's achievement, but those seeking an overview of the Napoeonic era would be best served with a more generalist work, unless they have a specific and focused interest in the military history. As a final quibble, although the battle narratives would best be read with a separate, dedicated battle atlas, preferably one with topographic detail. Although the maps in the book are quite good, I often found them insufficiently detailed. In some cases, the only battle maps provided were contemporary engravings, which we nearly unreadable.
Rating:
Summary: The best and most fundamental book on Napoleon
Review: Having read all the reviews, it pretty clear that there isn't much more I can say about this book which haven't been written already here. I can say that people who wrote badly about this book probably didn't read it very well or didn't read it at all. No one can start off his Napoleonic studies without reading this book. David Chandler's book is the fundamental book in understanding Napoleon and his military career. One of the previous reviewers stated that Military History and Atlas of Napoleonic Wars was better. That should be corrected in my opinion. The latter book provides a great companion book to David Chanlder's work but it lack the depth and understanding of the Napoleon's campaigns as described by Chandler. I kind of considered Chandler's book as a sort of Napoleonic bible, bit overzealous maybe but this book is where most serious students of Napoleon's military campaigns should start. Most who do will not need to buy another book that covers Napoleon's entire military career. They can spend their hard earn money buying books on Napoleon's individual campaigns, battles, personalities and naval warfare.
Rating:
Summary: Chandler's Campaigns of Napoleon- A Military Classic
Review: I first encountered Chandler's Campaigns as a tank company commander hoping to gain some insight into "mind and into one of history's greatest soldiers". Suffice it to say not only does my autographed copy occupy pride of place on my Napoleonic bookshelf, but it is recommended reading for all of my students studying the Napoleonic era. This is superb military history, detailing the often brilliant and always bloody march of Napoleon's armies. It is THE definitive work on the subject. Indispensible, irreplacable. A must for serious students and anyone remotely interested in military history.
Rating:
Summary: The Campaigns of Napoleon - good book
Review: I read this book and found it to be an excellent history of all of Napoleon's campaigns. It was a very interesting book (especially the part about the first Italian campaign), was well written, and it also had good maps of all the campaigns and battles (very important to be able to follow along)
Rating:
Summary: This may be the best English language book on Napoleon.
Review: If you are interested in the study of Napoleon as a military commander, this is the place to start.
Rating:
Summary: If you only pick one book.
Review: If you only pick one book to read about Napoleon and the Napoleonic wars, then this should be the book, or at the very least, one of the book you should consider reading. I can see why Dr. Chandler is (was) considered one of the leading scholars on Napoleonic history.
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