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As viewers of his TV series and readers of his previous books will know, Holmes is a brilliant interpreter of battlefields and what took place on them. He has visited most of the sites of Wellington's battles, not only those in Europe but those in India where the young Arthur Wellesley, as he then was, gained his first experiences as a general. (Wellington himself, in later life, claimed that his finest military achievement was not Waterloo but the winning of the Battle of Assaye during the Maratha Wars in 1803.) He uses his knowledge of the battle sites and his familiarity with all the extensive literature on the Peninsular War and Waterloo to produce a vivid account of Wellington's string of successes as a general. As the quotes in this book from his writings and despatches show, Wellington had a gift for the striking phrase and for concise description of complicated events. It's a gift his biographer shares and Holmes has produced a very readable and enjoyable book. --Nick Rennison --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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He manages to expertly combine Wellington's military and personal history, with a pace that never slackens and holds the reader's attention throughout. With so many battles to describe Holmes could easily have bored or confused me, but he did not, and actually gave me a new interest in them. Holmes provides a balanced portrait of Wellington, describing both his talents and his faults. Holmes also provides beautifully written portraits of Wellington's peers, such as Richard Wellesley (Wellington's brother),and his wife, Kitty.
Wellington: The Iron Duke is an excellent companion to the television series of the same name, as it can go deeper into the events of Wellington's life than the three hour series.
Unfortunately, like Wellington himself, this book has some faults. With so much to describe, it cannot go into as much detail as I would have hoped for. But as a book to gain the reader's interest in a subject, and as a precursor to wider reading around it, I don't think that I shall ever see its equal.
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