Rating: 
Summary: If you read one book on Napoleon this must be it!
Review: 'One quick blow and the wars over' with these words Napoleon led his army from the banks of the English Channel towards Austria, towards a small town named Austerlitz. This book is quite simply the best and more detailed thorough account of Napoleon and his grand army. It details such notables as General Ney, who fought Wellington in Spain and was latter suspected of treason by Napoleon. It details the invasion the russia, the 'napoleon at bay' campaigns of 1814 and the final showdown at waterloo. Great biogrpaical sketches are made of all Napoleons commanders and their various campaigns. Simply an excellent lucid account.
Rating:
Summary: If you read one book on Napoleon this must be it!
Review: 'One quick blow and the wars over' with these words Napoleon led his army from the banks of the English Channel towards Austria, towards a small town named Austerlitz. This book is quite simply the best and more detailed thorough account of Napoleon and his grand army. It details such notables as General Ney, who fought Wellington in Spain and was latter suspected of treason by Napoleon. It details the invasion the russia, the 'napoleon at bay' campaigns of 1814 and the final showdown at waterloo. Great biogrpaical sketches are made of all Napoleons commanders and their various campaigns. Simply an excellent lucid account.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book!
Review: A funny to read, fascinating, and professionally written book. Just sit down, make a cup of coffee, and read. And don't breathe! I find this book very objective - a very important factor since some readers come from those nations participating in the Napoleonic wars.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book!
Review: Although intensively anti-Russian, as is typical for Elting ( see his ATLAS OF NAPOLEONIC WARS also), this is one of the best books ever!
Rating: 
Summary: Far from flawless, but a good book nevertheless
Review: Colonel Elting is one of the most knowlegable authors in the business, and has a knack of telling a good story. However, there are existing errors about certain battles. For one, Elting claims that Baraguey-d'Hilliers division of dismounted dragoons arrived in time to save Dupont's infantry at the battle at Haslach on 11 October 1805 when there is overwhelming evidence that Baraquey's command never showed up. Also, some of his claims about units are questionable. For one, his claim that the 11th Legere was an outright failure after it was formed in 1811 is highly questionable. Clearly that statement could only POSSIBLY apply to 1812, when the regiment's combat performance suffered due to the quality of the 3rd and 4th battalions, but no one in the French army would have claimed that the 11th Legere did not perform well in 1813, or anything less than magnificently at Ligny in 1815.What's more, Elting criticizes other authors when they reference Thiebault's memoirs, even when a selected incident from those memoirs have corroborating witnesses or evidence, yet Elting uses Thiebault as source material for this work. Clearly, Elting's strengths are the politics within the army, the clashing personalities and the minor details of the interworkings of the army, rather than how the army performed under fire and the combat details concerning the battles. It should be utilized accordingly.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not without mistakes
Review: Elting certainly knows a lot about Napoleon's armies, but this work is far from flawless. The author can tell you what a certain corporal's function and pay was, but he mis-states facts concerning some battles and regiments. While many readers may think that this book is the best on the subject of Napoleon's armies, it cannot come close to Alain Pigeard's masterful work, L'Armee Napoleonienne 1804-1815.
Rating:
Summary: Best book on the subject
Review: Elting does with this book a mammoth task: he provides all kind of details about the Grande Armee, from its inception in the Ancien Regime armies, to its finale at Waterloo. Every imaginable detail is included, there are chapters about the Marshals and Generals and other officers, each of the fighting and supporting arms, camp and campaign life, allies and enemies, food, discipline, Eagle standards, music, in short, every aspect is covered. What is most important, especially for a volume as hefty as this, the style is most entertaining and witty. I enjoyed it thoroughly. The only (small) drawback I could mention is that it has a quite noticeable pro-Napoleon and anti-British bias, and this could be perhaps annoying for some readers. I recommend it wholeheartedly.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely superb...one of the best books I've ever bought!
Review: I must confess that prior to reading this book I did not know much about Napoleon, his armies or his campaigns. However since reading this book I've purchased many books on the subject and have become totally enthralled by the Napoleonic Wars. This is all due to the superb book written by Elting. His manner of writing is captivating...I could not put it down. His description of all the various facets of the Grand Army, its way of life, the different personalities, its uniforms, weapons and just about everything else one can think of is desribed in minute detail. Elting writes with much wit and apt sarcasm, which had me in stitches quite a few times. This book is a definite must for students of the era and even for people wanting an introduction to Napoleon's army. The book also left me in awe of the man himself...Napoleon. I am about to start reading it for a second time!
Rating:
Summary: Detailed Study
Review: I really cannot add much to the glowing reviews of this book, but I can subtract from them by stating that Elting is very much on Napoleon's side in his examination of the Grande Armee. This is no great crime, especially in light of the predominantly British viewpoint of Napoleon found in most English volumes, but it does mean that one will need to look elsewhere for a truly objective work. That aside, this book does give the best structural overview I have seen of Napoleon's army (without diagrams and illustrations)
Rating: 
Summary: Swords Around the Throne =Words on WAr Well Done
Review: Jophn Elting is an expert on Napoleonic military history. In this very detailed examination of the Grand Armee of Napoleon the reader will learn "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about the Grand Armee!".
I recommend this excellent work along with David Chandler's
massive The Campaigns of Napoleon for the reader who wants to study the Napoleonic era through the lens of two of today's
most perceptive students of military history.
This book is the mede vecum for the budding Napoleonic scholar.
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