RECENT AND FORTHCOMING PUBLICATIONS

The details are correct at the time of you are advised to check on the publisher's websites, or visit one of the many internet book sellers.

 

 

Soldiers, Citizens and Civilians: experiences and perceptions of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars 1790-1820 by Alan Forrest. Published by Palgrave Macmillan, hardcover, £50.00 (December 2008). Examination of the impact of the wars on the ambitions and identities of European men and women, as soldiers, citizens and civilians.

 

Soldiers of Napoleon: The Experiences of the men of the French First Empire by A.J. Doisy De Villargennes and Arthur Chuquet. Published by Leonaur Ltd., hardcover, £16.99 (December 2008).

 

Invasion of France 1814: The Final Battles of the Napoleonic First Empire by F.W.O. Maycock. Published by Leonaur Ltd., hardcover, £16.99 (December 2008).

 

Pauline Bonaparte: Venus of Empire by Flora Fraser. Published by Knopf Publishing Group, hardcover, £20.00 (February 2009).

 

Napoleonic Wars in Cartoons Mark Bryant, Grub Street, hardback, £18.99 (April 2009).

 

The Apocalypse of Napoleon Bonaparte Dr Robert Richardson, Quiller Publishing, hardback, £20.00 (May 2009).

 

Armies of the Napoleonic Wars: An illustrated History by Chris McNab. Published by Osprey Publishing, hardcover, £30.00 (June 2009)

 

Three books of particular interest:

 

The Battle of Quatre Bras by Mike Robinson. Recently published by The History Press at £30.00

 

Major Richard Llewellyn, who fought at Quatre Bras, wrote in 1837 that, 'Had it not been so closely followed by the... victory of Waterloo, perhaps the gallant exploits and unexampled bravery that marked that day would. ..have excited

even more admiration than was actually associated with it.' This book stands out from the wealth of Napoleonic literature in that it is the first English-language account to focus solely on the battle of Quatre Bras. It is based upon extensive research and in many cases unpublished personal accounts from all participating countries, as well as a detailed topographic, aerial survey of the battlefield.

 

These combine to provide a highly personal, balanced and authoritative work. The author unravels the controversies of a battle where commanders made errors of omission and commission and where cowardice rubbed shoulders with heroism, This is the story of a battle that turned a campaign; of triumph and disaster. It is a story of two great generals, but more importantly, of the intense human experience of those that they led

 

Redcoats Against Napoleon: The 30th Regiment During the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars by Association member Carole Divall.

 

Military histories of the struggle against the French armies of the Revolution and Napoleon often focus on the exploits of elite units and famous individuals, ignoring the essential contribution made by the ordinary soldiers -the bulk of the British army. Carole Divall, in this graphic and painstakingly researched account, tells the story of one such hitherto ignored group of fighting men, the 30th Regiment of the Line. She takes their story from one of the opening clashes of the long war, the Siege of Toulon in 1793, to the decisive Battle of Waterloo. She gives us a fresh perspective on key events the men took part in Massena's retreat from the Lines of Torres Vedras, the bloody storming of Badajoz, the retreat from Burgos, the ordeal of the troops holding the centre of Wellington's Waterloo position. The regiment's history -which she describes using some hitherto unpublished and vivid memoirs left by the men themselves and those they fought alongside -offers a fascinating insight into the life of British soldiers two centuries ago. It is published by Pen & Sword price £19.99.

 

Peninsular Eyewitnesses: The experience of war in Spain and Portugal 1808-1813 Charles Esdaille, Pen & Sword, 2008, £25.00, hb, 306pp, ISBN 978 1 84415 1912 (Reviewed by Paul Brunyee)

 

Charles Esdaille is well known both to members of the A ssociation and to the wider reading public: He has written extensively and authoritatively on the war in the Peninsular. This volume has arrived at the right moment. It is an

impressive introduction to the wider reality of the war in the Peninsular. This work weaves together eyewitness accounts from both sides of the conflict: memoirs; diaries; letters; eye witness testimony are all brought together. We hear from soldiers and junior officers in the Spanish, French and British armies as they describe the ambushes; battles, sieges, skirmishes and above all the misery endured by the civilian population.

 

Contemporary British military diarists naturally focused on what they achieved for themselves and with their unit. When they mention the civilian population it is often against a background of abandoned rural villages or impending ambush or of the civilians who defended those towns which were under siege.

 

In this revealing volume Esdaille gives us that frequently missing voice. We see the war from their viewpoint as they watched the soldiers of both sides tramp through their ruined lives. It is Esdaille's use of both the military and civilian sources which makes this book such a thought provoking read. Highly recommended.