- Hardcover: 396 pages
- Publisher: Greenhill Books; New edition edition (1 Oct 1992)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1853671274
- ISBN-13: 978-1853671272
- Product Dimensions: 22.4 x 14.6 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,558,411 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Synopsis
This text demonstrates how a great commander finally achieved victory after six years of battle against Napoleon''s army. The author covers all the battles against the French that Wellington was involved in.'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Although this is a one volume guide to the Peninsular War, the author manages to pack in a huge amnount of information , and made this an essential guide to the planning of a trip to the battlefields, and a useful companion once there. There are references to other, more encyclopaedic authors such as Oman, and topographical information plus sketches which give the general idea of the conduct of individual battles and sieges. The topographical information is a little dated now owing to the amount of recent development in Spain and Portugal, but is still helpful if you are planning on visiting the Peninsular yourself. I have read many books on this war, and am happy to commnend this to anyone, expert or new enthusiast.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
One of the best one-volume accounts of what to my mind is the most imagination-stirring campaign fought by the British Army. Weller judges Wellington shrewdly, is highly accurate as to fact, and writes with balance and pace. Another strong point was his eye for topography: he himself had walked the battlefields and even in some cases between them. Inevitably the hard back version, which I had at the time but alas no longer, would be nicer to own, but assuming all its pages are intact (and with early 70s paperbacks that is often not the case) will serve.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
8 reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Excellent one volume account of a long war
21 Jan 2000
Format:Paperback
Weller's book is a genuine classic of military history, describing a long war in a clear, incisive narrative. The battles are described concisely while pointing out options, mistakes, and tactical aspects. But it is a book of more than just battle accounts. Weller also intelligently explores the strategic problems and opportunities faced by both sides during the Peninuslar War. Certainly Wellington is Weller's hero in this narrative, but he me makes a compelling case for why the man who would become known as the Iron Duke deserves his sterling reputation.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
An old favorite returns
6 Oct 2004
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This was the first serious book on land combat in the Napoleonic age that was available in my small boring home town. I actually read it covertly in my high school classes. Some of my friends claim I share some of the Iron Duke's annoying personality traits -- if so this book is the reason!
30 years later I would still rate it as the best general 1-vol study of Wellington's campaigns, and the single book I would carry if I were visiting the battlefields. But there are some problems with it that need to be recognised:
1) Weller was writing about Wellington, so other armies and generals fighting in Spain at the time tend to get ignored. Of course they were mostly getting whipped by the French, but David Gates in THE SPANISH ULCER managed to make them interesting in spite of this handicap. Also, the whole savage partisan war that made Wellington's operations possible is mostly ignored.
2) The book ignores or downplays some of Wellington's bad points. The man was clearly a genius, but that led him to be very unforgiving of the failures of normal people.
3) Weller followed Sir Charles Oman on the tactical details of Wellington's battles. Later research by Paddy Griffith in original documents has proven that Oman's ideas on line vs. column and British fire superiority were mostly wrong. The prolonged exchanges of musket volleys described by Weller mostly didn't take place; the redcoats usually won with ambush tactics on the defense and classic bayonet charges on the offense.
30 years later I would still rate it as the best general 1-vol study of Wellington's campaigns, and the single book I would carry if I were visiting the battlefields. But there are some problems with it that need to be recognised:
1) Weller was writing about Wellington, so other armies and generals fighting in Spain at the time tend to get ignored. Of course they were mostly getting whipped by the French, but David Gates in THE SPANISH ULCER managed to make them interesting in spite of this handicap. Also, the whole savage partisan war that made Wellington's operations possible is mostly ignored.
2) The book ignores or downplays some of Wellington's bad points. The man was clearly a genius, but that led him to be very unforgiving of the failures of normal people.
3) Weller followed Sir Charles Oman on the tactical details of Wellington's battles. Later research by Paddy Griffith in original documents has proven that Oman's ideas on line vs. column and British fire superiority were mostly wrong. The prolonged exchanges of musket volleys described by Weller mostly didn't take place; the redcoats usually won with ambush tactics on the defense and classic bayonet charges on the offense.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Great Overview
29 Aug 2000
Format:Paperback
As the title indicates, this is essentially a book about Wellington's engagements in the Peninsular War, not the Peninsular War as a whole. Keeping that in perspective, this is an excellent book which covers each of Wellington's battles and sieges, as well as his logistical and strategic decisions, in great detail. Weller uses abundant footnotes to document his sources and indicates any conflicting accounts in the source material. So while this is a view of the British involvement in the Peninsular War, it is an unbiased one. It is also light enough in scope that one can get a good feel for this conflict without having to read all seven volumes of Oman.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
