Customer Reviews

Napoleon in Egypt

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4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
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It's the careless statements about collateral details which cast doubt on the accuracy of the main narrative. For example:

page 7: Alexander's "body was brought back to Alexandria to be buried in a magnificent tomb, made of gold and glass". Not the tomb. The original coffin was made of gold and later replaced by Ptolemy X about 89 BC with one of glass (or, more likely, translucent calcite).

page 79: "Dolomieu ... discovered a seven-ton stone sarcophagus covered in hieroglyphs which he took to be the long-lost tomb of Alexander the Great. ... Several decades later this sarcophagus would be identified as that of Nectanebo I". Actually Nectanebo II. (The author might have given us the sequel: that is, the rumour that Napoleon had wanted to be buried in the sarcophagus of his hero, Alexander, and so had it sent off to France in 1801. But the ship was captured by the British and the sarcophagus ended up in the British Museum.)

page 56: "Nelson ... was a battle-scared veteran, having lost his right eye leading his men ashore at Corsica". Not quite. He lost the "sight" of his right eye not the eyeball. (He never wore an eye-patch.)

page 136: Cairo's police chief, Barthelemy, is described as being "habitually dressed in a large white turban". This is unlikely as he was "a Greek Christian". In the Ottoman Empire, only Moslems were allowed to wear white turbans. Greeks had to wear blue and Jews yellow turbans.

page 160: "Nelson watched from the "Vanguard" as the sun sank behind the fort at the end of the Aboukir peninsula..." and the author then goes on to describe a great deal of the "Battle of the Nile" until "around eight p.m." as if the conflict had taken place in the dark. In fact, at Alexandria on August 1, sunset does not occur until 19:56 and twilight lasts until 20:22. The author could have found this out by simply consulting a nautical almanac or a web site. "Just before ten p.m." the French flagship "L'Orient" blew up (at just an hour-and-a-half into the night).

page 166 footnote: "the American poet Felicia Hemans". She was born in Liverpool, lived in Wales and England, and died in Dublin. She never set foot in America. As well as "Casabianca" ("The boy stood on the burning deck ...") she wrote the equally lackluster (and erroneous) poem "The Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers in New England" which was drummed into American school children until the 1950s. Perhaps that's why the author thinks she was "American".

page 185: "Desaix and his division began heading south down the Nile." Rather, "up the Nile" as it flows from south to north. (The same disorientation on pages 278, 286.)

page 389: "This black basalt slab... known as the Rosetta Stone." Actually "granite".

page 411: The author tells us that both Kléber and Desaix were killed "on the very same day". But two dates are given: 18 June for Desaix at Marengo in Italy (on page 408) and 24 June for Kléber in Cairo (on page 411). Both dates are wrong. The two generals died on 14 June 1800.

page 425: The Napoleonic bee emblem "was copied directly from the hieroglyph of an ancient Egyptian temple" and designed by Denon according to the author. No source is given for this intriguing bit of Egyptomania. The Napoleonic bee emblem looks nothing like the Egyptian bee hieroglyph and is generally thought to have been derived from Charlemagne's recreated regalia used for Napoleon's coronation.

page 429 note 1: "Different sources give Napoleon's height as anything between five foot two and five foot eight." The author forgets to tell us that there were English feet and French feet in use at the time. The French foot (pied du roi) was bigger than the English foot. Thus, 5' 2" in French measurements is about 5' 7" in English measurements. Both measurements equal about 1.7 metres.

I read a library copy of the British Jonathan Cape 2007 hardcover edition (ISBN 978-0224076814) which has the worst sort of glued binding (where the pages just fall out). The dust cover has a reproduction of Jean-Léon Gérôme's fanciful 1867 painting called "Napoleon and his General Staff in Egypt".

I found "Boneparte in Egypt" by J. Christopher Herold, first published in 1962 and reprinted as a paperback in 2005 (ISBN 978-1844152858), to be a better alternative.

This is an exceptionally well done book. The scope of this work is on the mark. It describes the political, military, and scientific aspects of the expedition, giving each aspect its due. It also adroitly covers the other players in the story: the Egyptians, their Mameluke overlords, the Ottoman Empire, and the British Navy.

It offers food for thought on Napoleon's motivations concerning the expedition as well as later after be became ruler of France. There are also insights regarding interactions between westerners and middle eastern people which, depending on your point of view, may have application to the present.

All of the information is relayed in logical, smooth flowing prose that is a pleasure to read. Detracting from this pleasure are errors of fact/terminology that create doubt about the author's accuracy. In addition to errors of fact cited by other reviewers, I would like to point out two:
* Providing background between Egypt and Europe, the author writes "...the charms of Cleopatra, queen of Egypt, proved irresistible first to Julius Caesar and then to Mark Antony, while rivalry between these two ambitious men plunged the Roman Empire into civil war." (pp. 7 & 8). False. Mark Antony was a loyal adherent of Julius Caesar and was one of his most trusted lieutenants. There was no rivalry leading to war between these two men. After Julius Caesar was assassinated, there was a rivalry between Mark Antony and Octavian (later Augustus) which resulted in civil war. The author's confusing Julius Caesar with Octavian is a salient error given this is basic history.

* On page 88 the author writes, "...he supervised the 200 men of his platoon in setting up their camp,...". I don't believe that a platoon comprised 200 men. Platoons are much smaller. This misapplication of basic terminology calls into question the author's ability to accurately assess the military memoirs that are his sources.

It's disappointing that a book that seems to be so well researched contains such fundamental errors that a reader is led to question its overall accuracy. The storytelling is superb but the history is sloppy.

Illustrated with maps, diagrams and photographs this book looks at Napoleon's ambitious overseas adventure... his invasion of Egypt while he was serving the Republic as a general.

Fresh from his campaign in Italy, Napoleon collected a large fleet, transports and a small army, all with the consent of the Directory. His objective was to take over Egypt, which was nominally a part of the Ottoman Empire, and in doing so spread the ideals of the Revolution and to threaten British holdings in India.

The author does an excellent job of discussing the practical problems involved in collecting the invasion force, the initial campaign for Egypt, Napoleon's attempts to rebuild that ancient country's social structure in accordance with his ideals of liberty and fraternity and his scientific mission to explore the land of the Pharoahs. The book is not only well-researched but it is also a gripping read. I feel that it could have done without intimate details of Napoleon's love life, but that may be just me. Otherwise, this is an excellent military and social study.

The author conveys the drama and adventure of the young Napoleon and his army in Egypt. The prose can't help but grip the reader, even a reader who knows the outcome of the stories, battles and adventures will keep turning pages.

The author describes and documents his take on Napoleon's motives and the political pressures on him. He describes how he acquired his resources, refreshingly with facts and explanations. (The financial end of campaigns is often generalized in this type of narrative.) He follows the chronology of events with a few fittingly placed interludes that span time that give a flavor of the daily life in Cairo. He describes some of the interpersonal differences and loyalties and in the end summarizes what happened to the survivors later in their lives.

By describing how the taxes were collected, how Beys paid their tributes, how "justice" was meted, how trade was insecure and thereby constrained, Strathern showed not just how the Mameluke system worked, but also how Egypt related to the Ottoman Empire.

A few reviewers have noted inaccuracies but none of these will be memorable or relevant to the general reader and none changes my overall response to the work. Paul Strathern can write and bring to life the drama, tragedy and significance of the short incursion.

I highly recommend this book for general readers of history.

In 1797, General Napoleon Bonaparte led a successful campaign in Italy, which led to him becoming a hero in France. One year later, he had grandiose plans to emulate his hero Alexander the Great by conquering India. However, first he decides to conquer Egypt. He leads an army of 40,000 across the Mediterranean Sea to Alexandria and easily defeats the local military in a series of battles that led to the French occupying Cairo. However, as easy as the military victories proved, the replacement of a local corrupt government based on the ideals of liberty and justice fail to take root. Shockingly he finds himself head of what is considered an occupation force by locals and soon a counterinsurgency ignites to kick the French and their nation building out of the Egypt. On the way back across the Mediterranean, Lord Admiral Nelson and the English Navy destroy much of Napoleon's navy.

This is a well written historical with timely reminders that resonate with what has happened in the two American Middle East wars. Napoleon wins the war in Egypt, but loses the peace as people resent occupying forces while on the home front he claims mission accomplished. Insightful, Paul Strathern provides a deep look at Napoleon's Egyptian campaign that proved disastrous to the French, but not to him as he raced home proclaiming victory; chutzpah at its sneakiest. Ironically his scientists uncovered ancient ruins that proved the most lasting event of his ill-fated campaign as their findings changed humanity.

Harriet Klausner

After having my interest stirred by a long ago documentary, I've been searching for just such a book like this, chronicling Napoleon's adventure in the East (or the Orient as he liked to think of it). The book is easy to read and goes at a good pace and is not just all about tactical manoeuvers. Of course I couldn't help but notice the parallels between the French invading Egypt to "liberate" the people from their oppressors and the U.S. invading Iraq to "liberate" them from Saddam. I'm not going to nitpick the minor errors because they're not important.

But now Strathern has whetted my appetite to learn more about some supporting real-life characters from this drama. One is only a footnote in the story, a Madame Tempie. She was the wife of a frigate captain and she practically challenged Napoleon to a duel to show that wearing petticoats does not automatically signify cowardice. I want to know more about this woman! The other is Sir Sidney Smith. I'd never heard of him until reading this book. I don't know why as he was running around doing all sorts of daring do, from saving the life of the Swedish king to being captured and escaping the French, going on to serve under the Turkish sultan, as well as scuffling with Napoleon on several different occasions. I'm surprised I've not been able to find that many books about him on Amazon.

But this just goes to show you some of the exciting and interesting people you'll find in this book.

I enjoyed every page of this superb history. In excellent, entertaining prose we are given the reasons and context for this strange expedition, the many personalities involved, and their adventures on the way to Egypt (where they miss being intercepted by the British navy by one day!) We are then treated to a blow-by-blow account of the military encounters and political machinations that ensued on the part of Napoleon, his generals, the feeble French goverment back home, the Mamelukes, the Turks, the British, and Egypt's neighbors. The aftermath and consequences of all this are satisfyingly, often shrewdly, dealt with. This expedition eerily foreshadowed the rest of Napoleon's career. But this is not all - there are the many scientists and "savants" which Napoleon brought with him, and their groundbreaking discoveries which began Egyptology as we know it. There are wonderful accounts of daily life in Cairo at the time and the local Muslim point of view. (Another fascination for me was that reading this book, I could not help but think of the recent ill-advised U.S. invasion of Iraq, whose organizers hoped to be greeted as liberators and spreaders of enlightened government, but were instead scorned as interfering invaders by many.) This book is full of amusing details. I couldn't ask for a more clear, engaging account of this inherently interesting subject.

I chanced upon this book when looking for books on Egypt. The Napoleon connection was intriguing, especially since I knew nothing of this episode in Napoleon's career. Strathern does a superb job of weaving together disparate themes and sources into a single narrative. And it is a compelling narrative - this book has beaten out straight fiction / pure entertainment books for my attention. The highest recommendation I can give - I am buying this as a gift *after* reading it.

Paul Stathern delivers a fascinating account on Napoleon's invasion of Egypt covering the military, political and cultural significance of this historical Middle Eastern invasion. Napoleon christened his army the Army of the Orient which revealed much about his true target. Not only Egypt but beyond through the valleys of Persia to the mountains of India. Napoleon at his naïve stage intended to conquer them all as he had Italy. It was in Egypt that Napoleon shaped not only many of his military intentions but his administrative qualities. He intended to reform Egypt as demonstrated with the learned Savants he brought with him to explore and develop institutions including a college in Egypt. From the excavations of Giza to the discovery of the Rosetta Stone these Savants would pioneer the field of Egyptology and reveal much to the world of what was essentially a forgotten society. The great battles from Aboukir Bay, the Arce and the Battle of the Pyramids are all covered and focus on the great stories of Turkish soldiers, Mameluke warriors and the infamous battle square that Napoleon deployed effectively against the numerically advantageous foes. As someone who wrote this undergrad thesis on the propaganda value of Napoleon's invasion of Egypt, Strahern's books is a great addition to the literature and not one to miss if you want to know more about the early career of Napoleon.

In this book the author Paul Strathern majestically weaves together the military, political and cultural aspects of Napoleon's campaign in Egypt including the scientific discoveries laying the foundation of modern Egyptology. Napoleon had a dream to follow in the footsteps of Alexander the Great by campaigning onto to India & thereby dealing Britain a crushing blow. The author covers off all the major battles including: the Pyramids, the Nile, Mount Tabor, Acre, Aboukir & the relentless & tireless pursuit of the Mameluke leader Murad Bey by Desaix whose brilliance in the field was only matched by Napoleon himself. The combat itself at times being brutal & savage with both sides' at times massacring prisoners.

But this is more than a book of military campaigning, it also shows the clash of cultures of East & West, Christianity & the Muslim faiths & how Napoleon miscalculated how he & his army would be accepted & welcomed as liberators freeing the population from the Mameluke yoke. (This miscalculation would be repeated again in Spain). The miscalculation in Egypt materialised in the form of an uprising in Cairo. Napoleon also failed to appreciate the true effects of naval sea power & once his fleet was destroyed by Nelson at the Nile & effectively blockaded, his dreams of conquest were doomed. The failure to take Acre then sealed the fate of the French army. Finally realizing the true situation that he was in & finally learning of events in France & Europe, Napoleon had to make the decision whether to stay with his army in Egypt or return to France.

However, it was in Egypt that Napoleon experienced absolute power & was a precursor for his time as Emperor in France. Effectively cut-off after the Battle of the Nile, his communication with the Directory in France was spar odic & hopelessly out of date; he therefore had a free hand without political interference.

A highly recommended read that shows all aspects of Napoleons campaign in Egypt.