Digby Smith. The decline and fall of Napoleon's Empire, 1804-1815: How the Emperor self-destructed.Digby Smith. The decline and fall of Napoleon's Empire, 1804-1815: How the Emperor self-destructed, Greenhill Books, London (www.greenhillbooks.com) and Stackpole Books, Pennsylvania, 2005. ISBN ISBN abbr. International Standard Book Number ISBN International Standard Book Number ISBN n abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m 1-85367-609-8, hardcover with dust jacket dust jacket n. 1. A removable paper cover used to protect the binding of a book. Also called dust cover. 2. A cardboard sleeve in which a phonograph record is packaged. , 239 pp, 29 b. & w. illustrations, 16 x 24 cm, UK19.99 [pounds sterling] plus p&p. The recent spate of TV programs on Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French, have aroused interest in the 19th century dictator and this publication from Greenhill makes an invaluable companion reader. Digby Smith has impeccable credentials as an author and researcher of this era, and lets actual words from the Emperor's mouth and from his voluminous correspondence condemn the great man himself. As brilliant as Napoleon was as a tactician and strategist, he was a flawed character whose authoritarian, autocratic, grandiose grandiose /gran·di·ose/ (gran´de-os?) in psychiatry, pertaining to exaggerated belief or claims of one's importance or identity, often manifested by delusions of great wealth, power, or fame. and mercilessly cunning ways are revealed, and paint him as a forerunner to Adolf Hitler. The parallels are striking. Thank goodness Hitler was not allowed a second chance! Napoleon's character flaws A character flaw is a limitation, imperfection, problem, phobia, or deficiency present in a character who may be otherwise very functional. The flaw can be a problem that directly affects the character's actions and abilities, such as a missing arm or a violent temper. and mistakes are revealed in chapters that deal with military blunders Military Blunders is a show that airs on History Channel International, and is narrated by Stan Watt. It follows military operations that don't succeed, or have the exact opposite effect of what was trying to be accomplished in the first place. , economic errors, the failings of his family puppets, his self-centredness, corruption at all levels of his empire, the great blunder of the Russian invasion, the unfolding of inexorable events as played out in 1813 and 1814 and finally the end of the Hundred Days at Waterloo. The work is well illustrated by a map and portraits of notables of the period. A helpful chronology of the Emperor's life and eight appendices ap·pen·di·ces n. A plural of appendix. round off this truly memorable and commendable work, which is suitable for all Napoleon students, regardless of their level of knowledge. |
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