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Product Description
Sir George Tomkyns Chesney (1830-1895) was British Army general and brother of Colonel Charles Cornwallis Chesney. Educated at Blundell's School, Tiverton, and at Addiscombe, he entered the Bengal Engineers as second lieutenant in 1848. He was employed for some years in the public works department and, on the outbreak of the Indian rebellion of 1857, joined the Ambala column, was field engineer at the battle of Badli-ke-serai, brigade-major of engineers throughout the siege of Delhi, and was severely wounded in the assault (he received a medal and clasp and a brevet majority). In 1860, he was appointed head of a new department in connection with the public works accounts. His book Indian Polity (1868), dealing with the administration of the several departments of the Indian government, attracted wide attention and remains a permanent textbook. In 1871, he contributed to Blackwoods Magazine a highly influential short story called The Battle of Dorking: Reminiscences of a Volunteer, a vivid account of a supposed invasion of England by the Germans after their victory over France.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The future war novel started here with this breif but exiting tale.Written in 1872 shortly after the Franco-Prussian war it was aimed as a propaganda pamphlet to warn about defence cuts(or lack of funding).The resulting uproar from the press ensured that the main objective of the book was reached.Worth reading now for being the 'father' of the genre.
Format:Paperback
"The Battle of Dorking" is one of those books that deserves far more credit and attention than it currently receives.
Written in 1871, the story tells of an invasion of Britain by Germany soon after its victory over France in the Franco-Prussian War. The author, Chesney, was an experienced soldier, and wrote this work as a warning against extensive cuts to the armed forces. As such, the book tells of how Britain's poorly-equipped army is easily routed by the advancing Germans, leaving the British to form auxiliary units from the male populace, who are swiftly defeated.
I say that this book should receive more attention because, without "The Battle of Dorking", we would never have had "The War of the Worlds", the popular novel by H.G. Wells, which took "The Battle of Dorking", changed the Germans into Martians, and altered the ending so that the Martians are soundly defeated.
I urge all readers to take a look at this book - it is well worth the read!
Written in 1871, the story tells of an invasion of Britain by Germany soon after its victory over France in the Franco-Prussian War. The author, Chesney, was an experienced soldier, and wrote this work as a warning against extensive cuts to the armed forces. As such, the book tells of how Britain's poorly-equipped army is easily routed by the advancing Germans, leaving the British to form auxiliary units from the male populace, who are swiftly defeated.
I say that this book should receive more attention because, without "The Battle of Dorking", we would never have had "The War of the Worlds", the popular novel by H.G. Wells, which took "The Battle of Dorking", changed the Germans into Martians, and altered the ending so that the Martians are soundly defeated.
I urge all readers to take a look at this book - it is well worth the read!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
A rather entertaining book
18 May 2009
Format:Paperback
In 1870, the Prussian Army overwhelmed the French Army in a series of land-battles, defeated the nation, and forced it to pay heavy reparations. A Lieutenant-Colonel in British Army, George Tomkyns Chesney (1830-95), became alarmed at what he perceived to be Britain's lack of preparation to defend itself in a war with Prussia, and decided to issue a wakeup call. He wrote a short story that told the story of an Anglo-Prussian War, in which an ill-prepared Britain suffered catastrophic defeat. When the story appeared in Blackwoods Magazine it became wildly popular, and was reprinted a number of times.
I must say that I found this to be a rather entertaining book. It is notable for its founding of the "Invasion Literature" genre, and for its obvious influence on H.G. Wells' outstanding book, The War of the Worlds. But, beyond that, it is an entertaining read. I found the story to be well written and the action quite interesting. Indeed, in many ways, this is perhaps one of the first "alternative history" books ever written.
I did enjoy this short book, and think that you will as well.
I must say that I found this to be a rather entertaining book. It is notable for its founding of the "Invasion Literature" genre, and for its obvious influence on H.G. Wells' outstanding book, The War of the Worlds. But, beyond that, it is an entertaining read. I found the story to be well written and the action quite interesting. Indeed, in many ways, this is perhaps one of the first "alternative history" books ever written.
I did enjoy this short book, and think that you will as well.
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