The Adventures of Gerard [Hardcover]

Arthur Conan Doyle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2001

From Preface: "I hope that some readers may possibly be interested in these little tales of the Napoleonic soldiers to the extent of following them up to the springs from which they flow. The age was rich in military material, some of it the most human and the most picturesque that I have ever read. Setting aside historical works or the biographies of the leaders there is a mass of evidence written by the actual fighting men themselves, which describes their feelings and their experiences, stated always from the point of view of the particular branch of the service to which they belonged. The Cavalry were particularly happy in their writers of memoirs. Thus De Rocca in his "Memoires sur la guerre des Francais en Espagne" has given the narrative of a Hussar, while De Naylies in his "Memoires sur la guerre d'Espagne" gives the same campaigns from the point of view of the Dragoon. Then we have the "Souvenirs Militaires du Colonel de Gonneville," which treats a series of wars, including that of Spain, as seen from under the steel-brimmed hair-crested helmet of a Cuirassier. Pre-eminent among all these works, and among all military memoirs, are the famous reminiscences of Marbot, which can be obtained in an English form. Marbot was a Chasseur, so again we obtain the Cavalry point of view. Among other books which help one to an understanding of the Napoleonic soldier I would specially recommend "Les Cahiers du Capitaine Coignet," which treat the wars from the point of view of the private of the Guards, and "Les Memoires du Sergeant Bourgoyne," who was a non-commissioned officer in the same corps. The Journal of Sergeant Fricasse and the Recollections of de Fezenac and of de Segur complete the materials from which I have worked in my endeavour to give a true historical and military atmosphere to an imaginary figure."

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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About the Author

Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh in 1859. Sent off to boarding school, he cut his teeth as a story-teller amusing his schoolmates with tales and writing letters home to his mother.He practiced medicine and, in 1900, volunteered as a medic in Africa during the Boer War - he was later knighted for his service. Doyle lost a son, two brothers in law, and two nephews to the Great War. He is remembered for the Sherlock Holmes stories and his novel The Lost World. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 196 pages
• Publisher: IndyPublish.com (October 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1588279448
• ISBN-13: 978-1588279446
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Gallic Flashman, without the self-deprecating wit (quelle suprise!!), April 19, 2006

By 

Grey Wolffe "Zeb Kantrowitz" (North Waltham, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Adventures Of Gerard (Hardcover)

What we have here is a collection of eight stories purportedly written about a Colonel of the Hussars in Napoleon Bonaparte's Grande Armee. His stories take us from the Spanish battlefields of the Penninsula campaign, through Russia (and the retreat), the Battle of Waterloo, and a fanciful failed rescue of L'Emporer from St.Helena.

THese are stories of dashing doo and have all the Doyle hallmarks of Honor and Gentle-Manliness. One has to keep in mind that these stories were written eighty to one hundred years after the actual battles. Many of the people he wrote about, had been known to people of his parents age. So that Doyle had great insight into how these people thought and acted.

The reading (I listed to the tape read by Bolen) of the stories prevents me from commenting on the character of Etienne Gerard. Some of the comments are very drole and may be Doyles way of making the Colonel less conceited that he comes off on tape. As it is, he has little of Flashy's insight into luck and cowardice and is totally consumed by his own abilities (very french indeed). The Flashman suceeds often in spite of himself (and is the first to admit it), Gerard always suceeds because he is the best swordsman, the best horseman, the greatest......(fill in the blank).

The stories are worth reading for their marvelous description of the life of the cavalry in the early nineteenth century, and the romanticism of that time at the fin de siecle.