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binstonbirchill's review against another edition
5.0
If you lack knowledge of The Napoleanic Wars and don't mind spending a good chunk of money to rectify that problem then this is the book to get. Chandler does an amazing job of describing both Napoleon and his campaigns. The focus is obviously on the French but the opposing side is described and analysed in each campaign to give a better picture of what Napoleon did or didn't accomplish and how. In depth looks at strategy and to a lesser extent tactics make this book a must read for anyone interested in the subject. There were occasionally a few wasted pages that summarized what was already said in the previous chapter(s) but instances of that were minimal.
iancolby's review against another edition
2.0
Good god. It's like reading an 1100 page transcript of a game of Risk. I did not read this with great élan....(more detailed review when I have time.)
msgtdameron's review against another edition
4.0
A good read. Details about all of Napoleon's battles. Just enough of the politics that the battles are set in a historic context. This is a must read if you want to understand the Napoleonic era.
markk's review
5.0
Though nearly a half-century has passed since its initial publication, David Chandler's study of Napoleon Bonaparte's military campaigns remains unsurpassed -- and after reading it, it is easy to see why. Over the course of a thousand pages, Chandler charts Napoleon's military career, from his early years at the École Militaire to his final defeat in the Hundred Days campaign. Aided by a generous selection of maps, he details the maneuvers of every campaign and the course of every major battle, each of which he concludes with a convincing analysis of the factors involved in the result. While the campaigns themselves dominate the text, Chandler also analyses the armies involved, describing their organization, their weaponry, and their reputation on the battlefield. The combination provides readers with an encyclopedic account of Napoleon's wars, yet Chandler's writing reflects the flair and dash that came to be associated with his subject's battlefield exploits. The result is a work that, despite its age, remains the standard by which histories of Napoleonic warfare are judged.
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