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Rating: 
Summary: Great
Review: Famous for its color plates, this book is also a highly readable story of Napoleon's first family, his guard. Packed with details unavailable anywhere else in English, this is the book for someone looking for minutia presented in an accessable format. This is NOT the first book to own on this era, it is NOT impartial, it is for those who cannot get enough detail on what perhaps was the greatest military corps in history.
Rating:
Summary: A reissue of a classic.
Review: Famous for its color plates, this book is also a highly readable story of Napoleon's first family, his guard. Packed with details unavailable anywhere else in English, this is the book for someone looking for minutia presented in an accessable format. This is NOT the first book to own on this era, it is NOT impartial, it is for those who cannot get enough detail on what perhaps was the greatest military corps in history.
Rating:
Summary: Napoleon and His Guard the Mother of All References
Review: I concur with the supportive opinions expressed here that this book, The Anatomy of Glory by Commandant LaChouque, et al, is the ultimate reference material for serious students of the History of the Imperial Guard.I first came upon this wonderful book as a Senior at the University of Minnesota in 1984. My senior thesis was a study of Anglo-French Diplomacy during the Napoleonic period, and I find this book to be a wonderful source of information, not only information concerning the History of the Guard, but also more generalized history of the period itself. This book, as stated, has a fabulous collection of artwork from the Anne Brown Collection at Brown U., and also does a wonderful job getting down to the nitty gritty concerning the Marshals, the Campaigns, the Politics of the Period, etc. Commandant LaChouque leaves no stone unturned in this hugely successful documentary on the Era. The fact that this book centers the majority of its attention on Napoleon's Guard specifically is especially attractive to me since even now with the advent of the Internet it's still a bit of a tooth pull to get so complete an analysis of the history of one of the most courageous, loyal and dedicated organizations of professional soldiers the world has ever seen...La Garde Imperiale! These hardcore heroes richly deserve to be remembered, and this book does their memory ultimate honor. The day I lost my original copy of this book was a sad one, and I'm very pleased I have now had, thanks to Amazon.Com, the opportunity to get a replacement. I most highly recommend this book for any gung-ho student of Napoleonic History...Vive L'Empereur!
Rating:
Summary: La Garde A Feu!
Review: I first saw this book and read it in high school. Since then, it has been an indispensable part of my Napoleonic library. It is full of information unobtainable eslewhere in English. The superb illustrations, from the Anne S.K. Brown Collection at Brown University, greatly enhance the presentation, Mrs Brown also being the translator. The book traces the Guard from its inception during the Revolution, its emergence as the Guard of the Consuls, and into its final evolution in 1804 as the Imperial Guard. The personalities who populate it are a truly talented and colorful group, from Pere Roguet, to Napoleon himself. The book almost appears as a personal narrative of the author, Commandant Lachouque, and while he has been accused of being somewhat biased, his references used for the book itself are impeccable. That the book has already stood the test of time is a virtue in itself. The new Introduction to the latest edition is by Col John Elting the noted suthority on the Napoleonic period, and new information on the Guard was discovered by him for this introduction. It not only enhances the Guard's formidable combat reputation, but the book itself. This book is a must for every Napoleonic enthusiast.
Rating:
Summary: La Garde A Feu!
Review: I first saw this book and read it in high school. Since then, it has been an indispensable part of my Napoleonic library. It is full of information unobtainable eslewhere in English. The superb illustrations, from the Anne S.K. Brown Collection at Brown University, greatly enhance the presentation, Mrs Brown also being the translator. The book traces the Guard from its inception during the Revolution, its emergence as the Guard of the Consuls, and into its final evolution in 1804 as the Imperial Guard. The personalities who populate it are a truly talented and colorful group, from Pere Roguet, to Napoleon himself. The book almost appears as a personal narrative of the author, Commandant Lachouque, and while he has been accused of being somewhat biased, his references used for the book itself are impeccable. That the book has already stood the test of time is a virtue in itself. The new Introduction to the latest edition is by Col John Elting the noted suthority on the Napoleonic period, and new information on the Guard was discovered by him for this introduction. It not only enhances the Guard's formidable combat reputation, but the book itself. This book is a must for every Napoleonic enthusiast.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding History of the Imperial Guard
Review: The best history of the Imperial Guard that I have read, this book provides the history of the Guard from birth during the Consulate to it's death in 1815. Including details of the formation, leadership and battle history of each regiment and attached formation, and profusely illustrated, this book is the reason that I have become fascinated with this era, the Emperor, and the Guard in particular. Written by Henry Lachouque, the Dean of French Napoleonic historians, translated by Anne S. K. Brown with illustrations from her collection at Brown University, this book should grace the shelf of anyone interested in the Guard.
Rating:
Summary: a work of unquestionable quality
Review: The glory of the Imperial Guard resounds above all others in the annals of war. Created, built and nurtured as a bodyguard for Napoleon, it grew from a brigade of fewer than two thousand men into a virtual army, and became 'a human fortress which no one but [Napoleon] could dominate and no enemy could penetrate'. And, on such battlefields as Austerlitz, Jena, Friedland, Wagram and Waterloo, it won the laurels of undying fame. Written by France's foremost historian of the Napoleonic Wars, Commandant Henry Lachouque, and translated and adapted by Anne S. K. Brown, this sumptuous work is enhanced by over 180 illustrations, including 86 plates in full colour. This new printing from the second, revised edition of Lachouque's masterwork will be especially welcomed by students of Napoleonic history. The plates alone are uniquely valuable as a source of uniform colours and style, and the text provides the definitive history of an elite body of men. With its vivid narrative and lavish illustrations, The Anatomy of Glory can lay justifiable claim to be one of the most magnificent books on military history ever published. The critical acclaim that greeted it upon its first publication provides ample testimony to its reputation. The Anatomy of Glory is both informative and entertaining: a work of unquestionable quality - termed a masterpiece by Elting - and a monumental contribution to Napoleonic literature.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: This book is about the best military formation in human history: the Napoleon's Imperial Guard. A lot of interesting information. I recommend this book.
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