Real Soldiers of Fortune [Paperback]

Richard Harding Davis (Author), 1stWorld Library (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2004

Purchase one of 1st World Library's Classic Books and help support our free internet library of downloadable eBooks. Visit us online at www.1stWorldLibrary.ORG - - ANY sunny afternoon, on Fifth Avenue, or at night in the table d'hote restaurants of University Place, you may meet the soldier of fortune who of all his brothers in arms now living is the most remarkable. You may have noticed him; a stiffly erect, distinguished-looking man, with gray hair, an imperial of the fashion of Louis Napoleon, fierce blue eyes, and across his forehead a sabre cut. This is Henry Ronald Douglas MacIver, for some time in India an ensign in the Sepoy mutiny; in Italy, lieutenant under Garibaldi; in Spain, captain under Don Carlos; in our Civil War, major in the Confederate army; in Mexico, lieutenant-colonel under the Emperor Maximilian; colonel under Napoleon III, inspector of cavalry for the Khedive of Egypt, and chief of cavalry and general of brigade of the army of King Milan of Servia. These are only a few of his military titles. In 1884 was published a book giving the story of his life up to that year. It was called "Under Fourteen Flags." If to-day General MacIver were to reprint the book, it would be called "Under Eighteen Flags."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard Harding Davis (1864-1916) was an American author of romantic novels and short stories and the best known war correspondent of his generation. Davis was one of the most famous and idolized men of his time.

Davis’ early fiction achieved immediate success, particularly Gallegher and Other Stories (1891), a collection of newspaper stories, Van Bibber and Others (1892), and Ranson's Folly (1902). Many of his published works were illustrated by Charles Dana Gibson. He wrote seven popular novels published between 1897 and 1909. Several of his 25 plays were also very successful, notably Ranson's Folly (1904), The Dictator (1904), and Miss Civilization (1906). --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: 1st World Library - Literary Society (December 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595406867
• ISBN-13: 978-1595406866
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,629,172 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an outstanding account about real men who became soldiers of fortune..., February 13, 2010

By 

James Hobbs (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Real Soldiers Of Fortune (Paperback)

This is an outstanding account about real men who became soldiers of fortune. Some were cheered as heroes and others were shunned or even banished by their own countrymen, but all lived fascinating lives. Davis leaves no intriguing character out. This wonderful book covers a wide range of soldiers of fortune from the beloved to the notorious, from celebrated men like Winston Churchill to outcasts like Captain Philo Norton McGriffin, from geniuses like William Walker to men who set up their own fiefdoms like Baron James Harden-Hickey.

Richard Harding Davis was not only an excellent novelist but also one of the best reporters of all time. He clearly drew from the immense experience he'd gained from traveling the globe and being at the center of history and politics when he wrote his outstanding works. As a war correspondent he had seen his share of action and adventure, so when he penned this wonderful look into the lives of men of action, he was truly following the adage, "write what you know."
This book will take you on a thrilling ride that you won't forget. You will feel as if you are right alongside these soldiers of fortune on the field and in the war room. His wonderfully descriptive prose really makes you feel like you're actually there, and he does such a wonderful job of bringing these characters to life that you feel like they could stroll into the room at any moment.

Davis truly gives these men their due, including a few who were misunderstood in their time. I strongly recommend this book and all of Richard Harding Davis' other works. He is the master of this genre.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Davis delivers another brilliant masterwork, February 27, 2010

By 

John Drake "Reading, and reading..." (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Real Soldiers Of Fortune (Paperback)

I picked this book up, because I'm a big fan of Richard Harding Davis' works. I just love his style. He paints pictures with words so wonderfully. In this book he does the same as he paints detailed portraits of the greatest soldiers of fortune of all time except with a pen rather than a brush. I personally think that Davis is the king of this particular style though.
This wonderful book was penned by a man who was intimately familiar with the world in all its wonderful and terrible glory. As a top journalist and war correspondent Davis had seen and experienced it all, and this uniquely qualified him to write thrilling works from the perspective of someone in the know. He writes his books the way that only an insider can, not an insider sitting on the throne of power, but one who is standing right there next to it, hearing and seeing everything, when he isn't out in the field dodging bullets.
In this book he tells the stories of a wide variety of soldiers of fortune. Though I'm a big fan of Churchill, my favorites were the ones who became outcasts such as McGriffin and Walker and some of the other `colorful' characters. Whether they were hailed as rogues or heroes, they were all very courageous men who led fascinating lives.
This is an excellent book, and a perfect example of the punches Davis is able to deliver. These men's stories were great, and Davis' accounting of their lives was wonderful and gave me a lot to think about. I highly recommend this book. It reads like a great adventure.