- Hardcover: 432 pages
- Publisher: Hambledon Continuum; First Edition edition (22 Nov 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1852855533
- ISBN-13: 978-1852855536
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.8 x 4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 919,607 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Globe and Mail
"Every so often, books are published that combine first-rate,
innovative scholarship and page-turning readability...This generous
reassessment is overdue."
innovative scholarship and page-turning readability...This generous
reassessment is overdue."
Toronto Star
"...a moving tale, clearly heartfelt - and infectious."
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Fifty years can make a big difference, not least to an individual's reputation. British General James Wolfe is a case in point. Back in 1959, a pageant celebrating his exploits at Quebec was the highpoint of that year's Royal Tournament. This year, 13th September, the 250th anniversary of Wolfe's death at the very moment of victory on the Plains of Abraham, passed in the UK without a flicker of interest from the mainstream media. It's all a contrast to the massive press and TV coverage devoted to the Trafalgar 200th celebrations in 2005, which is deeply ironic given the fact that Wolfe was Nelson's role-model.
Being forgotten is one thing, but poor old Wolfe has fared even worse. Now, when remembered at all, he's typically seen as a 'war-criminal' (because he burned French-Canadian farms in 1759, in a 'scorched-earth' policy to lure out his opponent, Montcalm) and a hopeless strategist, who only notched-up a victory at Quebec through pure luck. 'Paths of Glory' seeks to give a more balanced picture of Wolfe, going back to the original sources rather than simply re-cycling the same tired old quotes. The picture of Wolfe that results is, perhaps not surprisingly, rather different from that given in recent accounts of his career, and particularly of the pivotal Quebec campaign. While certainly far more sympathetic towards its subject, this is no mere white-wash job but rather a carefully-argued biography that weighs the evidence before reaching verdicts.
Well-illustrated with helpful maps and colour plates, 'Paths of Glory' offers both a lively narrative accessible to a broad readership, and a robust challenge to the existing scholarship. Published back in 2006, outside the ranks of the specialists Brumwell's book seems to have gone virtually unnoticed in Wolfe's homeland. Judging by the review extracts posted here by the publishers, it has generated far more attention across the Pond, winning prestigious awards in the US and Canada. If interest in Wolfe ever picks up in the UK, this book should help to meet it.
Being forgotten is one thing, but poor old Wolfe has fared even worse. Now, when remembered at all, he's typically seen as a 'war-criminal' (because he burned French-Canadian farms in 1759, in a 'scorched-earth' policy to lure out his opponent, Montcalm) and a hopeless strategist, who only notched-up a victory at Quebec through pure luck. 'Paths of Glory' seeks to give a more balanced picture of Wolfe, going back to the original sources rather than simply re-cycling the same tired old quotes. The picture of Wolfe that results is, perhaps not surprisingly, rather different from that given in recent accounts of his career, and particularly of the pivotal Quebec campaign. While certainly far more sympathetic towards its subject, this is no mere white-wash job but rather a carefully-argued biography that weighs the evidence before reaching verdicts.
Well-illustrated with helpful maps and colour plates, 'Paths of Glory' offers both a lively narrative accessible to a broad readership, and a robust challenge to the existing scholarship. Published back in 2006, outside the ranks of the specialists Brumwell's book seems to have gone virtually unnoticed in Wolfe's homeland. Judging by the review extracts posted here by the publishers, it has generated far more attention across the Pond, winning prestigious awards in the US and Canada. If interest in Wolfe ever picks up in the UK, this book should help to meet it.
7 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
An absolute must for anyone with even a passing interest in North American colonial history. It is also impossible to completely understand Nelson without understanding the influence of General James Wolfe on his world view. Brumwell is a rising star.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Absorbing in-depth chronicle of a pivotal historical figure.
9 Jun 2007
Format:Hardcover
Paths of Glory: The Life and Death of General James Wolfe is the first full-length biography published in half a century of Major General James Wolfe, a British military hero whose decisive 1759 victory against the French, on the Plains of Abraham before Quebec, ensured that English would become the dominant language of North America. Wolfe paid for his victory with his life; since then he has been enshrined in paintings, praised for his military genius and self-effacing modesty, and reviled by revisionist historians who paint him as bloodthirsty and snooty. Paths of Glory seeks to uncover the truth, as best as historical records and testimonies can deliver, of the chronically ill Wolfe's life and death. An inset handful of color and black-and-white illustrations, notes, and an index round out this absorbing in-depth chronicle of a pivotal historical figure.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
A First Class Biography
29 Aug 2007
Format:Hardcover
Stephen Brumwell's biography of General James Wolfe is a top notch read for those interested in the man behind one of the most decisive battles in North American history. Through extensive research, Mr. Brumwell delves into the known facts, testimony and controversy surrounding this determined and inspirational leader and gets as close as anyone can to the truth, heart and life of General James Wolfe. As I read the book I felt I got to know Wolfe as a real person--through his hopes, desires, disappointments, doubts and courage during his short lived life leading up to his death on the Plains of Abraham in his "against-all-odds" victory against the French at Quebec. For anyone interested in the history of North America--this is a Must Read! I only hope this book is used as a blueprint for an epic movie about one of the greatest British Generals of the French and Indian War.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Nice
5 Oct 2007
Format:Hardcover
Very well-done book; good background too on the events Wolfe was involved in as well, esp. the '45 in Scotland. Well written.
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