Customer Reviews

Napoleon (Mentor)

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Felix Markham's work is quite short- a mere 304 pages. This is obviously not nearly long enough to give a full accounting of the life of Napoleon, one of the most extraordinary men in all of history. Still, for those readers who may not know much about Napoleon, this book is an excellent introduction. Being broad rather than deep, it covers most aspects of Napoleon's life.

If you want a full and deep study of Napoleon's life, read the works of Vincent Cronin or Andre Castelot. If you want a brief overview, Markham's book would serve very well.

In his book, 'Napoleon,' Felix Markham traces the rise and fall of one of the most important men in western history. As a biography, Markham sometimes relies too much questionable references, but as a history, 'Napoleon' ranks among the great works on the subject. The reports of the battles and the men who served the Emperor are first rate. One can almost imagine being at Marengo, Austerlitz or Waterloo, or riding alside Ney, Marmont, or Junot. Perhaps some of the most appealing aspects of this book are the accounts of Napoleon's life after his exile to St. Helena and the events surrounding his death. Markham also shows us how the Napoleonic legend helped to shape post-Imperial France. I would recomend this book to anyone who would like to know more about this facinating historical figure.

Concise look at Napoleon and his exploits. This essay is best used as an introduction to be followed up by Schom, Asprey and Horne.

Felix Markham's "Napoleon" is a triumph. It's really a whirlwind history if you consider that within the first 100 pages you've seen Napoleon rise from his fairly humble Corsican origins to First Consul. The pace of the book was definetly something that I enjoyed! Markham details the rise to power, the political intrigues as well as the battles and campaigns that have in so many ways defined Napoleon. Napoleon's decline, exile and the rehabilitation of the Napoleonic legend in France are also well covered.

The strength of the book is that it's really well written. It's enjoyable to read, very clear and concise. While the biography may be criticized as being pro-Napoleon, I didn't feel he was unduly so, in fact his description of Napoleon as an enigma seems quite accurate and is probably one of the reasons that Napoleon continues to be controversial and of interest. As for the layout, I disliked having the maps at the end of the book, but that is of course a very minor issue.

This is definetly a good introduction for anyone interested in learning more about Napoleon.

If you're looking for a complete account of post revolutionary Europe or of Napoleon's life, this is not the right book.

If what you're looking for is a summary of major events in the life of Napoleon, then this is the right book. It does not go into detail and leaves out particularly interesting passages of Bonaparte's carreer, such as some of the battles and in particular Auterlitz.

As can be expected, if you have read about Napoleon before, you will be left with a sense of emptiness, as some critical and crucial events are covered in a single paragraph.

The only major shortcomming of the book is that it practically ignores Napoleon's relationship with women (Josephine, Marie-Louise)which as we all know is key to understanding Napoleonic history.

The book is very well documented and overall presents a very nice introduction to Napoleon. Also, it is easy to read....

For an introduction to or a refresher course in the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, readers would do well to invest in Felix Markham's 270-page mini-biography "Napoleon", published in 1963. Succinct it definitely is, which means that military campaigns requiring a great deal of detail tend to be a little dry, while Napoleon's coronation (depicted by David as one of the great spectacles in the first half of the 19th Century) is covered by Markham in a few brush strokes. The true value of the book, aside from its synopsis of a dazzling history, is Markham's incisive study of Napoleon's personality and the enormous effect he had on his generation as well as those to come. Junot is quoted as saying: "He is the sort of man of whom nature is sparing and who only appears on earth at intervals of centuries." Napoleon's wisdom as an administrator is set against his occasional brutality, as when he had 3,000 prisoners shot to death at Jaffa or somewhat arbitrarily ordered the execution of the Duc d'Enghien. (It was the latter act that caused Beethoven to cross out the "Eroica" dedication.) Markham debunks some Napoleonic myths, including my favorite that Napoleon subsisted on only four hours of sleep per day, plus power naps. And for those of us who think of Napoleon's rise to power as an unobstructed arc of triumph, Markham reminds us that in the early part of his career Napoleon came more than once under the shadow of the guillotine. There are 38 illustrations and, like the text, they provide a sort of précis of this extraordinary life. The portraits of Napoleon from the 1790's depict him in dramatic poses, his hair blowing in the wind, very much like a 1940's movie star. These contrast sadly with the St Helena pictures, the ex-Emperor leaning on a spade in his garden, looking tamed and resigned. From triumphant Emperor to tired exile, Felix Markham presents a "Napoleon" that is short but strong.

Markham's book on Napolean is incredibly fast paced. Napolean's life could (and often does) fill volumes, but Markham fits it all in a surprisingly small book. I bought this book on a recommendation from a history professor with the intention of quickly filling in a gap of history that I was less informed about. Essentially, it did just that. You could almost compare the book to a large encyclopedia entry. Not that it's bland or dry, but it is informative and sans literary fluff.

Overall, however, I enjoyed the book and would definitely would recommend it to anyone seeking to quickly grasp who Napolean was and how his life shaped Europe. A great introduction to this overwritten topic.

I enjoyed this quick tour through the life of Buonaparte but thought that the number of names and name places within short proximity and also that of annoying italicized nomenclature scattered on every page was suited for a fellow historian but not a lover of literature. Because this book seeks to encompass all of napoleonic history (including in part, military technology, European industry, politics, etc.)inside relatively few pages, the ride jolts quite a bit. There is not a great deal of smooth transition. I believe the author intended that those who would read his work begin at a mutual level of common knowledge about the subject matter.

On a positive note, it is a good introduction at a critical assessment of Napolean. It is from at least my limited point of view on the subject, still a grand story. But despite the historical method and criticism, however erudite, there still remains a charm and mystery and one appreciates the extraordinary force of Napolean's personality and his enduring legend all the more. So in the end, it seems almost impossible to write a bad version of an incredible tale. But I suggest starting another place if you are into polished literature. If a beginner historian--a perfect place.

This may be a good book on military history. I am not a military historian, so I cannot attest to how sound Markham's research into that subject is. Just know what you are buying. There is almost nothing here about Napoleon as a person, not compared to most other biographies. And the social context which gave rise to Napoleon is not really explored here. I find the first two chapters of the book that deal with Napoleon's genealogy and his early years interesting and well-written. After that the book got too dense and the writing style rather pedestrian. Everything beyond the first chapter of the book is written for a specialist (a scholar who focuses on the 19th century or on military history). At the time of the publication the book received such glowing reviews that I cannot help but wonder what I missed here.

I don't know what Felix Markham was contemplating when he decided not to write more about Napoleon's relationship with Josephine. Relegating her to a mere footnote in Napoleon's life was inexcusable.
Moreover, one has to beg to differ and ask the question as to why Markham took it upon himself not to dramatize the wars that were fought, the socio-economic situations that developed, Napoleon's personal life, or his psychological makeup?

Unfortunately, there just isn't any attention to detail in this book, and a historically charismatic figure such as Napoleon, whose led a sophisticated yet complex lifestyle needs his story to be detailed in the utmost capacity.
So, in adhering to this argument, it becomes difficult to fathom that Markham managed to skip to one event after another with no rhyme or reason, which made his lethargic literary attempt very difficult to ascertain, nevermind follow.

Markham also drops many names of so-called main players in the story, but manages not to tell you anything about them.
I couldn't fathom how Markham had the audacity to write a 304-page book that should have been well over a thousand pages, or several volumes so people who are unfamiliar with Napoleon's exploits can envisage who these historical figures were and their part in shaping history.

There wasn't any background information on the secondary players in Markham's account. And insofar as "the Battle of Waterloo." Why wasn't there any mention of Nathan Rothschild's banking/insider trading fraud, which gave him controlling interest of the Bank of England? Nathan Rothschild lied to market speculators about the outcome of the battle, promulgating that Napoleon won the war, which caused the speculators to dump their stocks and assets,leaving Rothschild to purchase their assets for pennies on the dollar, making him one of the wealthest entrepreneur in Europe. Also, Napoleon was in debt to the Rothschilds and he ran out of money and that's why he ended up losing the war. Anyone with half a brain knows you need money to win, and Markham left all of this key information out of his account.

So, in conclusion, Felix Markham is indeed one of the worst chroniclers of history I've ever come across, and he had no business writing about Bonaparte. It is painfully apparent that he wrote this book for people who are already pretty savvy when it comes to the Napoleonic Wars, and no one (including Markham) can successfully write a historical account of warfare without exploring the causes, the effects, and motivative passions.
So I reiterate that this was a lazy/sad attempt, and I strongly recommend reading something else more detailed.