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1812: Napoleon's Fatal March on Moscow [Paperback]

Adam Zamoyski
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
RRP: £10.99
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Book Description

4 April 2005

Adam Zamoyski’s bestselling account of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia and his catastrophic retreat from Moscow, events that had a profound effect on European history.

In 1812 the most powerful man in the world assembled the largest army in history and marched on Moscow with the intention of consolidating his dominion. But within months, Napoleon’s invasion of Russia – history’s first example of total war – had turned into an epic military disaster. Over 400,000 French and Allied troops perished and Napoleon was forced to retreat.

Adam Zamoyski’s masterful work draws on the harrowing first-hand accounts of soldiers and civilians on both sides of the conflict. The result takes the reader beyond the invasion of Russia to present both a poignant tale of the individual foot soldier and a sweeping history of a turbulent time.


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Product details

  • Paperback: 672 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (4 April 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0007123744
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007123742
  • Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 19.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 22,208 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

‘So brilliant that it is impossible to put the book aside … A master craftsman at work.’ Michael Burleigh, Sunday Times

‘Zamoyski’s book is a brilliant piece of narrative history, full of sparkling set-pieces, a wholly fascinating account of what must be reckoned one of the greatest military disasters of all time.’ Sunday Telegraph

‘No review can do justice to the scholarly integrity and human sensitivity of this book, or to the horror is describes … “1812” is one of the greatest stories ever told.’ Christopher Woodward, Spectator

‘An utterly admirable book. It combines clarity of thought and prose with a strong narrative drive.’ Daily Telegraph

‘A gripping tale.’ Economist

‘The best non-fiction version to be written so far … Zamoyski is brilliant at explaining what it must have been like to be a foot soldier.’ Mail on Sunday

From the Publisher

The saga of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia and the catastrophic retreat from Moscow has fascinated not only military historians; Tolstoy’s War and Peace demonstrates the dramatic appeal of those events at a universal human level. This is the story of how the most powerful man on earth met his doom, and how the greatest fighting force ever assembled was wiped out.
By 1810 Napoleon was master of Europe, defied only by Britain, which he could not defeat because he had no navy. His intention was to destroy Britain through a total blockade, the Continental System. But Tsar Alexander of Russia now refused to apply the blockade, and Napoleon decided to bring him to heel.
Napoleon quickly realised that nemesis awaited him, and the events of 1812 had a colossal impact on the fate of Europe: a great patriotic surge helped turn the Russians into a nation (hence Tchaikovsky’s ‘1812’ overture) and led them to reject Western values; the Germans began their fateful ‘Prussification’; the French lost their cultural dominance. And Napoleon’s legend – as man of destiny – began to exert its insidious fascination. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A 'must read' 15 Dec 2004
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a superb read - very hard to put down - as it provides an absorbing mix and insight into the historial/ military tactical/ human interest issues of 1812 to really understand and, yes, experience one of the most important and tragic events in European history in the last 200 years.

As a read it is in turn heart-breaking, in the detail of the suffering of soldiers and civilians, awe-inspiring in the descriptions of the heroics, and fascinating in its insights into the commanders, especially Napoleon - with all his flawed genius.

The tactical military stuff is v well described and dealt with - with sufficient detail to understand and be interested, without being swamped with data and having to keep checking previous sections and the maps.

The only Downside was when the book ended!

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67 of 70 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece of historical narrative 7 May 2004
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
This book offers a lucid account of both the military and diplomatic aspects of Napoleon's disastrous Russian campaign. Its greatest strength lies in an exceptionally graphic account of the experience of the Napoleonic soldiery on the march to, and in the retreat from, Moscow. We are not spared harrowing details of suffering from heat and cold, but we also meet many examples of heroism and generosity, most movingly told. Many of the details have an almost hallucinatory vividness. It has greatly enriched my own sense of the pathos of history and of the potentialities of human nature in conditions of extreme trial.
My one criticism of the book is that, if one compares it to Antony Beevor's classic book on Stalingrad, which pays equal attention to the experience of the Russian and of the German soldiery, this book is one-sided. Zamoyski, as a learned and judicious historian, has a right to argue that the standard Russian account of the campaign is a patriotic myth and that the weather did more than the Russian army to defeat the French, but the focus remains too strongly on the invaders: the heroism and suffering of the ordinary Russian soldiery is not treated with the same sympathy and attention to detail as is accorded to the French (and the Poles). This book remains, however, a masterpiece of story-telling. It deserves the huge success one may confidently predict for it.
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning, a triumph 30 Oct 2007
By Didier TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm really not sure if I can do this book enough justice in the space of a tiny review. Before reading it I was, like many others perhaps, very much aware that Napoleon's march on Moscow was a turning point in his career and in European history, but apart from that, well... largely ignorant. Reading Zamoyski's book changed all that, and the only regret I have is not having read it earlier.

"1812" is a stunning history book! The 25 chapters are 'bite-size', just the right size to read at least one chapter each evening before going to bed (or two, or three... I found it very hard to put this book down), and in them Zamoyski gives a fascinating account of the entire campaign (beginning with the reasons why, and ending with the aftermath). In doing so he strikes a perfect balance between on the one hand a crystal-clear analysis of the broader political/military scene and motivations of the principal actors, and on the other hand lots of small but telling anecdotes.

One of the things that struck me most is how (as Zamoyski clearly demonstrates) few of the events were the result of intelligent, strategic decisions taken with clear goals in mind, but rather how one thing led to another and decisions were often reduced to the choice between the lesser of two evils. It's astonishing really, and all the more so if you come to realize the enormous cost in human misery and lives resulting from these decisions.

Zamoyski includes literally hundreds of extracts of private correspondence, notes, diaries, etc. from Napoleon and Tsar Alexander themselves down to foot soldiers, which don't detract from the main story but always succeed very well in illustrating the point Zamoyski is trying to make. I'm sure most of us are aware Napoleon's Grande Armée didn't have a field day in this campaign, but just how horrific it actually was is perhaps never better said than in the (often very moving) words of the actual participants. Last but not least the book contains 23 simple but clear maps, and is written in impeccable English.

This is a real feast from cover to cover!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Easy to read with many interesting facts and opinions and makes you realise how their national character was formed.Easy way to increase your historial knowledge.
Published 1 month ago by Martin Kinch
4.0 out of 5 stars readable
A great book of European History and the downfall of Napolean and the Congress of Vienna that followed. This is beautifully written and easy to follow in what is a mighty book. Read more
Published 3 months ago by atticusfinch1048
5.0 out of 5 stars Great condition - as new
I bought this for my husband and as it was in such good condition I wrapped it up for a present. He was delighted. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mrs
5.0 out of 5 stars History Comes To Life
I've read a few history books in my time and this one is right up there. It tells the story of Napoleon's failed march on Moscow in 1812. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Syriat
4.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book :D
What a wonderful book, reads like a saga and paints history in such vivid colours. Parts of the account will make your skin crawl -- accounts of what actually happened on and... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Maureen
5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyable informative read
I have read several books on this subject this book is the most informative. Recommend this to anyone researching the subject.
Published 4 months ago by ALEXANDRIA
5.0 out of 5 stars Gift
So haven't read. Has good reviews though. Bought for son studying A2 history. Off to uni 2013 to study history.
Published 4 months ago by D Boylan
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding history
Brilliantly researched and written,a gripping read. The focus on the human stories behind this epic conflict is particularly fascinating and avoids miring the story in purely... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Bibliophile
5.0 out of 5 stars An epic tale told in an epic manner.
This book starts with a birth surrounded by all the pomp and power of an empire at its peak. in reality the book is about failure and indecision, about the useless sacrifice of... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mieczyslaw Kasprzyk
4.0 out of 5 stars Good account of Big History
I'm not sure what to say after the use of so many superlatives in the previous reviews. This is clearly a good book which reads extremely well. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Lamu Hermit
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