How Far from Austerlitz?: Napoleon 1805-1815

Rating:
Summary: St. Helena is a Long Way from Austerlitz
Review: "How Far from Austerlitz?" is almost exactly what I was looking for: a brief, highly readable account of the Napoleonic Wars (about which I know relatively little). Horne explains why Austerlitz was Napoleon's most brilliant battle, carried out when he and his soldiers were at their peak. Using that battle as its frame of reference, the book describes the rise and fall of Napoleon and the Grand Army.

My only complaint is that "How Far from Austerlitz?" looks at this fascinating period almost exclusively from the perspective of Napoleon and other major players. While that's fine as far as it goes, I would have preferred an "Ambrose-style" narrative that also told the story of the rank-and-file Napoleonic soldier.

Rating:
Summary: "How far is St. Helena from the field of Austerlitz?"
Review: "You couldn't hear me if I told--so loud the cannons roar."

This history borrows its title from from Kipling's "St Helena Lullaby" and tells the tale of a man ruined by success. Bonaparte's dazzling triumph in December, 1805 persuaded him of his own invincibility - and doomed him to everlasting defeat. An intriguing approach to the Napoleonic era, an excellent writer (Horne the Great) and a poignant behind-the-scenes tale as well. Horne, formerly of British Intelligence (WW2), was for years denied access to the battlefield of Austerlitz (now in Czech Republic) until the fall of the Iron Curtain.

Rating:
Summary: Good military history.
Review: Alistair Horne's book is poor in it's approach to the political and social aspect of the Napoleonic saga.His comments on french internal politics are puerile and superficial.At times he seems to be at lost when confronting the post-revolutionary political scene in France,he certainly has none of the insight of a Jean Tulard.Nonetheless it is very good military history.His comments on the Grand Armée are very good and very instructive.The description of the battle of Austerlitz is masterful and the highlight of the book.All in all it is an exellent read.

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Summary: A starter full of anecdotes
Review: For someone just starting out in a study of the Napoleonic Era, "How Far From Austerlitz?" is an amazingly easy and engaging book to read. There are no endless statistics, no long percise accounts of how much powder a 12 pounder cannon used, no long commentaries on this Marshal or that. Instead the book is a quick run through Napoleon's career. The book opens many doors for the reader, which will lead to further study. It is not intended to be the "End all be all" tome concerning Napoleon. It is an introduction to the era an nothing more. What makes this book better than other introductionary works about Napoleon is Horne's anecdotes. The book is filled with interesting anecdotes, stories, and facts which are far more memorable than the weight in kilograms of a French Officer's kit. In turn, Horne's anecdotes makes the book memorable if not very detailed or in depth. Furthermore Horne's personal opinions about Napoleon and his corrolations with contemporary times, such as World War Two, made the book much more lively. It does not matter what one thinks about his opinions, the fact his book has opinions makes it more intriguing than other more statistical, but lifeless works.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent summarization of Napoleon's career.
Review: Having read many books on Napoleon I felt that this book was a good introductory look at the man. Certainly other books go into greater detail, but for a student just becoming familiar with Napoleon this is a great start. It covers a little of everything in Napoleon's life; social, personal, and militarily. Alistair Horne is also an entertaining writer who finds the high points and clearly illustrates them in plain terms. He makes valid comparisons of battle with pre-Napoleonic wars to post-Napoleonic ones. Overall, he sets the table and further study is required to learn more about Napoleon's career. For example, very little is mentioned about his days as First Consul and the reforms he made. This is simply because the book started in 1805. Another example is the deep anxiety and yearning for legitimacy Napoleon had over being accepted by other European sovreigns. Horne mentions this but no in depth study is attempted. Finally,as stated before, this is not an advanced book on Napoleon but an excellent start to the newcomer and the old-hack will enjoy Horne's witty style and maybe a new twist or two concerning major events.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic - until Waterloo...
Review: Horne succeeds in bringing to life the character of the times and the people that lived them - a rare achievement indeed! His descriptions of the battles (all except Waterloo that is) are most commendable in their ability to bring the oft complex engagements to life. The only reason for not allocating a fifth star is the somewhat lacklustre rendition of the 100 days campaign and the Battle of Waterloo specifically, that is nowhere near as well portrayed as the others. Whilst a depressing time frame to all admirers of "The Ogre" it nonetheless merits accurate description...

Other than that - a fantastically written book book worthy of any Bonaparte collection.

Rating:
Summary: Great essay about Napoleon
Review: How Far From Austerlitz? is a presentation of Napoleon Bonaparte starting in 1805 and ending with his death in 1815. Horne's overview guides the reader through the most important events during this time period, supplied by page after page of useful information in an understandable and entertaining format.
The first couple chapters of background information provide the base to which the rest of the book is built. For any novice on Napoleon or of this time period, the information provided is sufficient to give the reader an understanding of what propelled Napoleon to where his is in 1805. It is a good introduction to some of Napoleon's most famous event: Austerlitz, the Russian campaign, as well as Waterloo. Horne's detailed explanation of the battlefield terrain and troop movements, used in conjunction with the clearly drawn maps, paint a vivid picture of each engagement. Concise footnotes are also included to provide extra information without confusing the reader.
The essay does not concentrate solely on the war campaign of Napoleon. Additional topics such as politics, parallel events in Europe and America as well as Napoleon's personal life are included in minor detail. Probably the second most important aspect of Napoleon's life is addressed, his need for an heir for the empire he was building and the lengths he would go to obtain it. Some of Napoleon's correspondences are included, giving an insight to his personal feelings, especially towards Josephine. Alternate theories and possible outcomes are also hypothesized: Wellington fighting in Canada against the United States, Napoleon not offering the Louisiana purchase and Britain not fighting the War of 1812 to name a few.
As a supplement, an epilogue follows the conclusion of the essay. This chapter details the lives of many of the principle characters who played a key roll either with or against Napoleon. Much of the information contained here answers a common question at the end of any historical collection: What happened after the essay ended. A short synopsis explains some of the major events to occur that Napoleon influenced either directly of through his family. The reader discovers what became of people such as Napoleon's mother, brothers and sisters, the Duke of Wellington, Talleyrand, Blucher and Alexander I.
Throughout the essay Horne makes many references to historical personalities, most notably the would be conqueror Adolf Hitler. The parallels enable the reader to evaluate similarities between the two dictators, especially the common mistakes they made. Given the numerous similarities, Horne's inclusion allows the reader a reference point to a more familiar figure from which to gain a better understanding of Napoleon.
While this is not a complete account of Napoleon, Horne's goal was to educate on the fall of one of histories greatest field generals and leaders. His submission accomplishes the task with a style that entertains and enlightens the reader. Horne provides detailed information without the endless list of statistics or useless facts detracting from an excellent story.


Rating:
Summary: A good read
Review: Regardless of the mistakes that have been mentioned I don't think that it detracted from this book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this account of Napoleon and I still think that Alistair Horne is one of the best historical writers on French history around today. The book's narrative flowed along well and it was a pleasure to read, I really did not notice the mistakes mentioned and in total they are only minor. Take the time to sit down and read this book, its worth it.

Rating:
Summary: A good overview, but not the best-written Napoleonic history
Review: This book is not a bad place to start one's reading of Napoleonic history, but less well written than works by military specialists John Keegan or David Chandler. "How far from Austerlitz" is neither a detailed study of military strategy nor a broad historical context for the Napoleonic era, but contains elements of both and excels at neither.

The prose is occasionally clunky and the text would benefit from more numerous, more detailed maps next to the battle descriptions. Map and description are usually separated by several pages, which is frustrating.

Readers of this book might also enjoy "The Art of Warfare in the Age of Napoleon" by Gunther Rothenburg, which is strategy-oriented and "Napoleon and Wellington" by Andrew Roberts, which traces the events that eventually brought the two great generals together at Waterloo and suggests that the two men's regard for each other was different than many suppose.

For a fascinating account of Napoleon's attempts to rewrite history from Saint Helena, try "The Black Room At Longwood" by Jean-Paul Kaufmann. Kaufmann wears his frenchness on his sleeve and makes no effort to refute Napoleon's endless rationalizations, but he writes beautifully not just about historical events but about the nature of time, memory and solitude.