Waterloo 1815: The Birth of Modern Europe (Campaign) [Paperback]

Geoff Wootten (Author)

Book Description

Series: Campaign | Publication Date: May 28, 1992

Osprey's study of the most famous battle of the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815). Waterloo holds a special place among the great battles of history. The climax of more than twenty years of war, it was indeed a close-run affair, matching two of the world's greatest generals - Napoleon and Wellington. This volume covers the entire campaign including the battles of Quatre Bras, Ligny and Wavre, with five full-colour maps and three highly detailed bird's eye views showing decisive moments in the action. An excellent sense of the closeness of the battle is communicated - Wellington himself claimed it was "the nearest thing you ever saw in your life" - and this gripping account shows the full justice of that statement.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Highly visual guides to history's greatest conflicts, detailing the command strategies, tactics, and experiences of the opposing forces throughout each campaign, and concluding with a guide to the battlefields today.

About the Author

Geoffrey Wootten is an acknowledged expert on the Napoleonic period and has written a number of articles and books on the subject.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (May 28, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1855322102
• ISBN-13: 978-1855322103
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.3 x 9.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #405,976 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #46 in Books > History > Europe > Belgium

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Waterloo Campaign, December 4, 2001

By 

"jgates75" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Waterloo 1815: The Birth of Modern Europe (Campaign) (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book. I dont think it is overly Pro-Brit - the author gives plenty of credit to both French and Prussians where it is due. He also clearly states that without Blucher Wellington could not have won. Its a very good blow-by-blow text of the battle. However, it is also more than that. You get the bonus of the lead up battles prior to Waterloo itself, all done in detail, and an excellent set of battlefield tours at the end. I was really glad I took the book with me when I walked the battlefield some time ago. This must be one of Ospreys biggest offerings in the series, and for the money it really cant get any better than this!! The author goes into a lot of tactical and other precise details that I havent found in other texts, and I thought the 3D terrain map illustrations were superb. You can really see how the battle shaped up. The only thing I would like to have seen was some new uniform plates. The ones here come directly from their men at arms series. That said, there is lots of excellent stuff here, it's very nicely written, and well worthy of inclusion in a collection. I have several titles in the Campaign series, and Waterloo is definitely my favourite so far.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT DETAIL, AND SHARES BATTLES LEADING UP TO WATERLOO, November 24, 1999

By 

Jose (U.S.A) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Waterloo 1815: The Birth of Modern Europe (Campaign) (Paperback)

I found this a great book, it not only told about Waterloo, but battles leading up to it, which other books don't have. It is filled with lots of colorful pictures of all armies, French , British, Prussians, and Germans. It goes through in define detail on the battle. I LOVE THIS BOOK.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must for Napoleanonic era buffs, May 17, 2001

By 

"jmbyrne25" (West Chester, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Waterloo 1815: The Birth of Modern Europe (Campaign) (Paperback)

The Campaign Series books are on the whole outstanding, and the Waterloo book does not disappoint. There is detailed information on the commanders involved and a nice summary on what happened to the key combatants after the battle. The maps and pictures were great as always in this series. The information detailing the prelude to Waterloo was also outstanding.

My only complaint is that the role of the Prussians in this battle was really down played. Historians in general have given Wellington a disproportional amount of the credit for the allied success in this battle and this book goes down the same road. It would be great if Osprey would come out with an expanded addition of this book that allows the author to go into greater detail on the Prussian's actions.