Customer Reviews

A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars

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For those of you who like minimal reading, but drool over maps, this book is a must. A massive book covering a classic subject, Esposito's Atlas has what the reader wants when needing a quick understanding of Napoleon's miliary exploits. The book itself is no picnic. As heavy as a cannonball, it measures 10 1/2" tall, 1 1/2" thick and 27" long when opened! However, its format (text & map at a single glance) is the best for study and research.

Twenty years and 12 campaigns are captured within 169 detailed maps. Some maps cover a time span of hours, others months. To lessen clutter and confusion, not every action described in the text is shown on the corresponding map. The 11-page Biographical Sketches section is revealing, and in the case of some unfortunate commanders, brash and humorous. The Recommended Reading List is 10 pages long with occasional comments on quality.

I have two minor complaints: first, it would have been most helpful if French units/commanders names could have been italicized. Being somewhat unfamiliar with European names and locations, I was confused several times when the text reference included French and enemy units and map locations. And second, the blue ink used to show French positions is much less transparent than the red ink of enemy units. Consequently, finding towns and landmark locations is difficult when French positions have overprinted map names. Other than that, I highly recommend this book!

I can only echo previous reviews here. If you should get only one military atlas on this subject, this is the one. Along with the West Point Atlas of American Wars vols I & II (don't be deceived by the "American" in the title; volume II includes all the campaigns of WWI & WWII, not just the ones the U.S. participated in), this atlas is a must for the serious military historian. As previously stated, reading military history without maps is a frustrating and ultimately worthless enterprise--a downright stupid and rude thing for an author to do (and its done too often!). These maps are "clean" and easy to read--not cluttered with unnecessary junk. Esposito's prose is terse, yet highly undertanding of the essentials of the situation. He has a fluid understanding of the interrelations between the political, strategic, operational and tactical elements of a situation.

I had heard through sources that this was an indispensable book and I purchased it with eager though guarded optimism, considering the price.

I was thoroughly pleased with my purchase. The book is huge by any standards and the layout; with lucid, terse text to the left and clear, concise maps to the right; is an historical reader's dream come true. Another feature I loved was the fact that towns and places were referenced in the text with a co-ordinate system that made finding them on the map that much easier.

To be sure, the text is not as highly detailed as those of books dedicated to singular battles or campaigns but this book is intended as a quick reference and in this it excells. Having only recently delved into reading about the Napoleonic Wars in depth, I was somewhat overwhelmed by the vast history and the wealth of material available to go along with it. Now I can have a passing knowledge of the greater part of this period and use this book as a "jump-off" point for further reading.

If you are new to the Napoleonic Wars or if you are looking for a condensed version of them, this book is definitely for you. I have used it as a supplement when reading magazine articles or other books. The maps are THAT good. Indeed, Peter Hofschroer used some of the maps in his volume on the Battle of Waterloo.

You will not go wrong purchasing this book if you need a concise reference for the Wars or if you love good maps. An added bonus is the section on leader biographies which make for very interesting reading.

If you are tired of military history accounts that have you flipping pages back to poorly detailed maps to try to follow the action, this atlas and the authors' American Wars series is the answer. There is a map to each page of text that follows the pertinent campaigns from macro to micro scale, as needed. The text is very insightful and concise. The version I have read is from the 1960s, so I don't know if the graphics have been updated, but the old maps are just fine for the purpose of showing how the campaigns and battles unfolded.

A perfect book for the visually oriented person interested in military history and a good compliment for other Napoleonic campaign histories.

I first read a borrowed copy of this book in 1975 (the first printing was done by West Point publishers in the 1960's) and I have been trying to get a copy ever since.

It is without doubt the best grahical illustration of Napoleons campaigns ever published and if combined with David Chandlers book on the wars of Napoleon gives a vivid and definatice account of this period of military history.

You expect Esposito's "West Point Atlas" series (Napoleonic Wars, American Wars, Civil War) to be wonderful tools for the serious amateur to understand the combat and movements of opposing forces -- and they are. However, what I found particularly striking in this work is the way Esposito, in just a few paragraphs, captures how the campaigns relate and the geo-political ramifications of the campaigns. If I could only own one book as my source of information concerning the Napoleonic Wars, it would be this one. -- Bernie Lambe, Washington, DC

Probably one of the easiest to read books on Napoleonic campaigns, its also one of the easiest to understand the campaigns as well. Unlike one of the earlier reviewers, I don't think this book is superior to David Chandler's Campaigns of Napoleon which is still the standard work but this book might proves to be a great supplement. John Elting's writing flow very nicely and he says a lot in a limited space. His opinions are always reflective of the true measure of the situation and he make difficult scenes easy. This book must be a standard issue in anyone's Napoleonic library.

This book provides an excellent launching pad on the major campaigns of Napoleon. The book details the key movements of key players and the battles of the major campaigns and are all appropriately referenced to accompanying maps which help clarify the narrative.

All the major campaigns are included from Italy, Eygpt, Austerlitz, Russia, Waterloo etc etc. Also included are brief biographical sketches of Napoleon's Marshals and his opponents.

The book is of unusual dimensions but this is necessary for the inclusion of the maps. My only minor gripe is that in the age of computer graphics the maps could perhaps have been updated.

Overall this is an excellent summary of Napoleon's campaigns which I found useful as I was unfamilar with many of them other than Waterloo and Austerlitz. The book is designed to give the reader a taste of each campaign or battle from which he or she can follow up with further more detailed accounts. A comprehensive recommended reading guide is listed at the back of the book. This is an essential guide on the Napoleonic wars.

This book is definitive, and remarkably useful. It is an absolutely necessary companion to the study of Napoleon's military career. It is curiously shaped (with pages wider than they are long) formatted so that when the book is open the right hand page displays a map showing a military situation from Napoleon's career, and the left hand page presents a carefully written description of the map. This shape facilitates the use of the book. A single map (and consequently its facing page, may cover something as large as all of Europe, or as small as the battle field of Quatre-bras. Campaigns are usually presented with multiple maps, each dated and timed to show a major manuver in the campaign. As most campaigns culminate in a battle, the period between campaign maps becomes shorter and shorter. The Waterloo campaign, for example, is encompassed by 14 maps whose some of whose titles are: (1)Situation in Europe about 1 June 1815 (2) Situation late on 14 June 1815, (3)Situation at 0700, 16 June 1815, (4)Battles of Ligny and Quatre-Bras - Situation at 1400, 16 June 1815 (5)Battles of Ligny and Quatre-Bras - Situation at 2100, 16 June 1815, (6)Situation at Dawn, 17 June 1815 (7)Situation night of 17/18 June 1815. You get the idea.

The quality of the maps is exceptional. Every military feature is carefully presented. The text is equally carefully written, and represents a superb one page sketch of the battle situation depicted on the map.

Furthermore, the two are carefully linked, such that all places mentioned in the text are on the map, and the text itself gives the reader a hint (e.g. North West Quadrant) if the place is obscure.

The Introduction to the book is a careful and thorough guide to Napoleonic warfare, including Army organization, weapons, and tactics. At the back of the book are biographical sketches of all important men in the Napoleonic era, and a very thorough bibliography.

I have found that the way to use this book is as a companion to other books. For example, when reading Chandler's "Campaigns of Napoleon" (which has its own maps but not nearly as useful as Esposito's), I will open Espisito to the correct page and lay it on the table. When Chandler mentions a town, I find it on the Esposito's map. Chandler's description may go on for many pages, but I don't have to flip pages back and forth as I would if I used Chandler's maps.

If you buy this book, I suggest you get the oldest edition you can consistant with the description of quality you desire. The Older editions were printed on much thicker paper than the newer ones (1990??).

Considering this book's usefulness and rarity, the prices I see here on Amazon, while expensive, are not exhorbitant. Until the advent of the World Wide Web, the problem would be to find an edition at any price.

I have carried my editions all over Europe, including Russia, and they have held together remarkably well. They show only wear on the outside, and an occasional thumbprint from my coffee.

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I am neither trained military nor a professional scholar. However, I am very interested in the history of the art of warfare, which, I believe, reached it's apogee in Napoleon.

Before I had this atlas, I set out to read Chandler's "Campaign's of Napoleon" which had insufficient maps for appreciating the larger context and movements of Napoleon and his army. Once I had Esposito's atlas, I returned to Chandler and was able to appreciate and follow what was going on a lot better.

Since Chandler, I have read other Napoleonic titles, always making sure to have Esposito open to the appropriate page on the table nearby. To the casual reader with an interest in history, Napoleon can be an intimidating topic because there is just so much to digest, especially in terms of geography. But Esposito's atlas can tremendously simplify the process of getting to know the what and where of history's greatest captain.