- Paperback: 224 pages
- Publisher: Birlinn Ltd (9 Dec 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1841580244
- ISBN-13: 978-1841580241
- Product Dimensions: 21.5 x 13.9 x 1.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,032,330 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
This text commemorates the military life of Field Marshall James Keith. It was his heroism that saved the Prussian army from annihilation in the seven years war and he paid for it with his own life.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An interesting biography of an unusual military career,
By A Customer
This review is from: Nothing But My Sword: The Life of James Keith (Paperback)
A feature of 18th century military life was the ease with which many soldiers served in different armies during their careers. A prime example is James Keith, about whom Sam Coull has written this biography.Born to an old Scottish aristocratic family, he served in the British, Spanish, Russian and Prussian army and fought in the Jacobite risings of 1715 and 1719, the siege of Gibraltar, Russian wars with Sweden -including command of a naval landing in the Aland islands- , Poland, the Crimean Tartars and the Ottoman empire, and the Prussian army in the Seven years war. Add to this spy stories, a post as commander of Moscow's garrison in times of murderous intrigue, duties as Russian ambassador to Britain and various romantic involvements and you have a life that could easily be make into a whole series of Hollywood films. The book by Sam Coull starts off a bit slowly, detailing the deeds of various of James Keith's ancestors right up to the early Middle Ages. But the pace picks up once he concentrates on his main protagonist. Then it becomes very readable, wih many interesting details, such as the occasion when Frederick the Great visited Keith in his Potsdam home and found Keith in the garden, trying out military maneouvres with tin soldiers and paper cannon. The king joined in enthusiastically and both made it regular habit to meet to play "war chess". Recommended to anybody interested in the history of the 18th century, or just in colourful real-life adventurer.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Globalisation 18th Century Style,
By
This review is from: Nothing But My Sword: The Life of James Keith (Paperback)
The 17th and 18th centuries saw a number of "guestworkers" serving in other armies: Irish Roman Catholic men and officers in France and Spain, Catholic Irish officers in Austria and Russia, and Huguenot French men and officers in armies fighting France. James Keith was a Jacobite but a Protestant Jacobite and therefore found service with his Most Christian Majesty as with his Most Catholic Majesty difficult. He served therefore (after his experiences in Scotland) in Russia and Prussia. This book is at its strongest as a description of the roving life of the attainted rebel who is clearly a charmer; at times with the slightest hint of Barry Lyndon or Baron v. Munchausen.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nothing But My Sword: The life of James Keith,
By
This review is from: Nothing But My Sword: The Life of James Keith (Paperback)
This book is not only a rivetting read, it is also a true account of this wonderful man's life, based on extensive research from original sources. A must for anyone interested in military history, European history, Keith clan history, or anyone fascinated by biographies in general, for their psychological insights.
This book should be a best seller and if there are any film producers out there, this book could become a blockbuster film. Julie Luckraft-Voges ( nee Keith )
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