The Age of Napoleon (The Story of Civilization, Vol. 11) [Hardcover]

Will Durant (Author), Ariel Durant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1997

The Story of Civilization, Volume XI: A history of European civilization from 1789 to 1815. This is the eleventh and final volume of the classic, Pulitzer Prize-winning series.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A sweeping portrait of an age, this book--the 11th and final volume in Will and Ariel Durant's Story of Civilization series--makes Napoleon its hero. The Durants, capable of switching from art to science to warfare with ease and skill, rank among the world's great popular historians. This adroitness requires some condensation: the description of Waterloo, for instance, takes up about three pages. If you want a detailed history of Napoleon's battle orders, look elsewhere, but if you want to understand the age and the man--in that order--The Age of Napoleon is a great place to begin. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 870 pages
• Publisher: Fine Communications; First Edition edition (July 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567310222
• ISBN-13: 978-1567310221
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.5 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #232,696 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of the Napoleonic period, December 27, 1999

By 

Ney (Berlin, Prussia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Age of Napoleon (The Story of Civilization, Vol. 11) (Hardcover)

The Durant's have done an excellent job in capturing the flavor of the era of Napoleon. The book gives you an excellent overview of military, social, religious, philosophic, and moral attitudes of the day. One should keep in mind, however, that the book is an overview and thus does not deal too deeply with any one subject. This should not be seen as a flaw however but a product of the aim of the work, to summarize the conditions during Napoleon's time. The book is easy to read and is written to be understood by the average reader. A definite must have for any French history or Napoleon buff.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Eleventh Volume in The Story of Civilization!, September 2, 2004

By 

Jeffrey Peter A. Hauck "Guerrilla Reader" (Pennsylvania USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Age of Napoleon (The Story of Civilization, Vol. 11) (Hardcover)

In this, the eleventh volume in the critically acclaimed series "The Story of Civilization," Dr. Will and Ariel Durant have compiled a masterly recount of the incredible sequence of events that led Europe out of the Enlightenment and into the Age of Democracy.

The reader is treated to a detailed narration of: The revolution in France. The revolutionary leaders such as Robespierre. Marat. The rise of Napoleon. The fall of Napoleon. The life of Napoleon. The poetry of Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron and Shelley. The philosophy of Schelling and Hegel. The music of Beethoven. And much, much more including plates and maps.

Written to stand alone or within the landmark series, the Durants have composed a historical retelling in smooth prose which is easy to read and understand by both professional and layperson alike. In short, this book is for everyone interested in European history. A benchmark in a class of its own, I rate this text at five stars. Wonderful!

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great perpective, February 26, 2001

By 

Humberto Secchin (Vancouver) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Age of Napoleon (The Story of Civilization, Vol. 11) (Hardcover)

Yes, this book presents an Anglo perspective of Napoleon and his time in Europe. Still, the work of the Durans is fantastic as it captures historical elements from sources as diverse as visual arts, philosophy, literature as well as the customs of the time. The work is also rich in research and references, presenting numerous scripts from Napoleon himself and his subordinates.

After reading this book, I was encouraged to buy the whole collection the Durans produced and I am very happy to have done so.