Napoleon on the Art of War (Hardcover)

by Jay Luvaas (Narrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Napoleon Bonaparte not only dominated Europe militarily for 20 years in the early 19th century but his concept of war and its right conduct has fascinated historians and guided military leaders for almost 200 years. Noted military historian Luvaas now presents a succinct volume of Napoleon's thoughts on the art of war as seen by the greatest soldier of his era. Luvaas has worked on this book for 30 years, translating and editing the 32 volumes of Napoleon's own writings and correspondence and offering in essay form the key elements of Napoleon's wisdom on war. Subjects include tactics, operational art, strategy, logistics, training, diplomacy, intelligence, leadership, combined arms, morale, and discipline. The best chapters are Napoleon's analysis of the "Great Captains" (Alexander, Caesar, Gustavus Adolphus, Frederick the Great) and his candid evaluations of his own French generals' strengths and weaknesses. This is a short, clear, and very readable treatise on the art of war, a much better product than 1998's dismal pretender, Napoleon: How To Make War by Yann Cloarec (Ediciones La Calavera). Luvaas's book is recommended for public, academic, and military libraries.ACol. William D. Bushnell, USMC (ret.), Brunswick, ME
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Whatever his political failings, Napoleon's reputation as a military genius remains undiminished. His broad strategies and battlefield tactics are still studied at military colleges around the world. Given his ignominious end in exile, it is understandable that Napoleon never penned his "definitive" memoirs. However, his genius is revealed in the massive volume of his personal letters and military correspondence. Luvaas, a military historian, has arranged Napoleon's essays and correspondence into a coherent exposition of his attitudes and beliefs regarding warfare. Napoleon reveals his great psychological insight, his mastery of organization, and his unceasing faith in an aggressive style of warfare. Perhaps inadvertently, he also reveals his egotism and belief in his own destiny, which would lead to his downfall. While military buffs will find special delight here, there is much in this work that can appeal to the well-informed general reader. Jay Freeman

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (June 9, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684851857
• ISBN-13: 978-0684851853
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #839,378 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST for students of military strategy., November 15, 1999

By	Marie Audrey L. (Surabaya, Indonesia) - See all my reviews

NAPOLEON. The world has viewed him as a hungry conqueror, a man always victorious in his days, and the greatest general the world has ever known.He is popular in books and encyclopedias as the master of strategies and tactics, the God of war, a military genius,etc.etc.Then try to read this book, and you'll find that the key to his successes is only one: Never be irresolute, calculate everything prudently, move with confidence and spirit and never leave anything to Fate.In this book you'll find how he used his army from the creation of the fighting forces until the operational art to the gate of victory. He also said that military education, fortification and high morality played an important role in war.But he also made some fatal mistakes that caused his failure in battle, you can find it all in the chapter"Generalship and the art of command".If you're truly interested in military strategies and tactics, this book is certainly presented for you. Jay Luvaas has in this book reflected the mind of history's greatest conqueror.Go and get it. This masterpiece will forever change the way we view THE EMPEROR.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How the Little Corporal Thought, April 10, 2001

By	Keith Endres (United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There is probably no man in history that has been written about widely as Napoleon, with writings either praising him or decemating him littering bookshelves world wide. However, this selection is quite different, as it is an assortment of letters, mandates, orders etc. that Napoleon decreed or wrote for numerous purposes throughout his time. The accumulation of these letters into chapters of different broad topics makes for a read that provides more insight into the mind of Napoleon than any of thousands of other books ever kind. The reason for the insight is this cannot be biased, for it is Napoleon's own words. The portion describing military training and education is especially notable, and it would be wise reading for anyone considering the military field. Other sections describing leadership of all types, preperation, motivation etc. all show clearly why Napoleon was the man he was, and why so many millions followed him blindly. Anyone in a leadership position could do well to learn from the greatest leader of all time, and this book provides an opportunity for just that.

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ironic, August 12, 2001

By	C. Doke "crayt1024" (Colorado) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a very good compilation of Napoleon's writings, in which is discussed the policy, composition, discipline, and strategy that armies must employ to be successful. There is a quote in the book from Kircheisen, a Napoleonic Scholar, stating that Napoleon's ability to successfully wage war was not in the realm of strategy, instead it was grounded in organization and attention to detail, which leads me to the intrinsic irony of this book: In the end Napoleon did not follow many of his own axioms.

Ultimately it was his total failure in the Russian Campaign that caused his downfall. This incident demonstrated to the rest of Europe that Napoleon was not the living reincarnation of the god of war; quite to the contrary, he was a mediocre strategist. His failure was the result of his lack of organization, and his inability to compete with the Scorched Earth Policy and a small typhus endemic. In fact, his failure was so total that his "Grand Army" was decimated from 422,000 men strong to a mere 10,000: that is 97.6% casualties. This complete failure was caused because he did not heed the things that he himself propounds in this book.

That begs the question: Can this book truly be reflective of Napoleon?

If you want to know how to run an army: read this book.

If you want to keep your idealized version of Napoleon: avoid this book because it will demonstrate just how absurd his command was in the end.