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Napoleon For Dummies (For Dummies (History, Biography and Politics))
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by J. David Markham
Sales Rank: 383317
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Discount: 25 %
List Price: $19.99
$13.59
At Amazon
on 6-16-2008.
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Features
Cover Type: Paperback with 364 pages
Published by: For Dummies October 7, 2005
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 0764597981
ISBN 13 Number: 978-0764597985
Book Dimensions:
9 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
Weighs: 1.2 pounds
From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-This book is divided into ten parts, each consisting of 3 to 4 short chapters that focus on a general theme, such as how Napoleon built his empire, how he lost it, why some of his reforms and ideas were so revolutionary, and the impact he had on Europe. Markham also addresses such issues as Napoleon's height, why he was portrayed with his hand in his vest, and whether he really divorced his 47-year-old wife to marry an 18-year-old princess. The author writes as if he were engaged in a conversation with readers rather than as a noted scholar. He keeps the sections in each chapter long enough to convey important information, but short enough to hold casual readers' attention. The text is interspersed with dry humor that takes on a rhythm of its own that, combined with the numerous cartoons that place Napoleon in humorous or ridiculous situations, will keep readers amused. Numerous high-quality photographs are appropriately placed throughout the text. A useful general reference.-Robert Burnham, Robert E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Book Description
Explains his influence on the military, law, politics, and religion
Get the real story of Napoleon Bonaparte
Not sure what's true about Napoleon? This easy-to-follow guide gets past the stereotypes and introduces you to this extraordinary man's beginnings, accomplishments, and famous romances. It traces Napoleon's rise from Corsican military cadet to Emperor of the French, chronicles his military campaigns, explains the mistakes that led to his removal from power, and explores his lasting impact on Europe and the world.
Discover - How Napoleon built - and lost - an empire
- The forces that influenced him
- Why he created the Napoleonic Code
- The inside story on Josephine
- How he helped shape modern-day Europe
Reader Reviews
The For Dummies series made a brilliant choice in choosing J. David Markham to write this Napoleon for Dummies. Although this book is by its nature a popular history, its author is nonetheless one of the world's most internationally recognized Napoleonic scholars. Markham's writing style is easy to read and he covers his subject in a way that is both informative and fascinating. He gives excellent coverage to the normal topics covered in a biography of Napoleon, and adds significant "in depth" discussion of other topics as well. Throughout it all, Markham gives the reader the best over-all portrait of Napoleon that I have seen in any biography of one of history's most interesting and complex leaders. Markham includes some seventy Napoleonic images from his personal collection of historical artifacts, which makes the book all the more interesting and useful. In his book, Markham provides a concise overview of Napoleonic religious freedoms and liberties that focuses on the Concordat with the papacy and the promotion of Jewish freedom. He also discusses how Napoleon "tried to negotiate a peace with Great Britain [in 1811], anticipating that her difficulties with the United States might make her, finally, willing to come to terms with France," but again these negotiations also failed. Had Britain and France made peace, war with Russia might not have been necessary, as Russia would no longer find itself raising concerns over the Continental System. And so, Napoleon found himself in the unfortunate position of having to militarily enforce the 1807 peace agreement. We can see from the above series of events and diplomacy that while Napoleon long regarded Europe as a singular entity, his plan to unify Europe had an amorphous and constantly developing nature that could not have achieved a more definitive or concrete direction until after all of Europe, including England, would have been pacified in the years following the crucial year of 1812. In that year, the notion of Napoleon as a sort of reincarnation of a certain Macedonian conqueror reemerged. David Markham explains that in 1812, "some thought Napoleon would not stop with Russia. These people believed that after Napoleon defeated Russia and once again secured Alexander's friendship, he would follow in the footsteps of Alexander the Great and march all the way to India." But as we know, in spite of Napoleon's battle victories and occupation of Moscow, peace overtures to Tsar Alexander and Field Marshal Mikhail Kutusov were met with silence, and 1812 proved to be a disastrous year for Napoleon. Considering the title of my master's thesis (Napoleon's European Union: The Grand Empire of the United States of Europe), I especially appreciated Markham's succinct overview of Napoleon's vision of a United States of Europe in his chapter titled "Creating a New United Europe." The visual evidence includes a medallion showing "Napoleon (wearing the laurel wreath crown of the Caesars) and Charlemagne together" that is particularly revealing of Napoleon's effort to identify with past emperors in European history and synthesize elements of their imperial iconography. I am especially pleased to see that Markham included sections on Napoleon's religious policies and vision of European unity (Napoleon for Dummies), as well as comparisons of Napoleon to earlier leaders like Alexander the Great (Road to Glory). I do hope that Markham gets to do a Julius Caesar for Dummies book as well, and it would be great if eventually they come out with for Dummies books on Alexander the Great, Charlemagne, and even Napoleon III! I think that when I am a professor I will indeed use this as a reference book for my students. It's easy and enjoyable to read and I think that it would work quite well, particularly for undergraduates. It must have been fun to write! I hope that it sells well!
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Napoleon For Dummies (For Dummies (History, Biography and Politics))
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Price: $13.59
Updated on 6-16-2008.
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