Napoleonic book recommendation needed please

[Ranthony]

Hi all,

Having a little knowledge of the Napoleonic wars, I have of late been trying to learn a little more, as with all things Napoleonic, it becomes quite daunting once you realise how much was going on.

I wonder if you good folk might be able to suggest a good starting point for reading up on the whole era; war/politics/trade etc?

Ideally covering the period from Napoleon as a young artillery officer through to his demise.

I'd like to know more about how the armies functioned, states came into existence, who was pulling the strings in the background and if possible, voices from the rankers.

It's a bit of an ask but if you know of a book that covers it all, please do share, as I'd love to broaden my knowledge on this fascinating era.

Cheers

Ry

[olicana]

For Napoleon I found Frank Mclynn's biography a very good read, though it's quite a hefty tome.

For his battles and campaigns you can't do better than Chandler's The Campaigns of Napoleon which is also hefty, has lots of maps of campaigns and battles, but is something of a must have (IMHO). I picked up a single volume copy for £6 in a charity bookshop a while ago.

For tactics, there is Nosworthy's book called something like Battle Tactics of Napoleon and His Enemies which has a lot of detail about the nitty gritty of unit tactics. For just dipping in and out of for facts like unit frontages, weapon ranges, weapon effect, and lots of other great 'wargamer's useful stuff', I can heartily recommend The Waterloo Companion - It's very well laid out for 'toilet break reading'.

Personally, I'd go for Chandler's book. From that you will be able to narrow down which campaign / sub period you are most interested in. That will crack open the subject and give you a direction of travel.

I think it's still the case that there have been more books written about Napoleon than any other man in history.

More books have been written about Napoleon Bonaparte than about anyone else in history, more than Christ, Mohammad, Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great. The last estimate for the number of books written on Napoleon was over 300,000 (J.D. Markham, 9).7 Sept 2021

[SJWi]

I too have little knowledge of the period so will defer to others. If you like historical fiction however, I can heartily recommend Simon Scarrow's trilogy on Napoleon and Wellington which covers Wellington in India, Napoleon in Egypt and everything else. Yes its "fiction" but IMHO gives a great primer to the whole period. 

[Cat]

Chandler's Campaigns of Napoleon is definitely a must, I read that one every so many years.
 
The book I reference the most frequently is Philip Haythornthwaite's The Napoleonic Source Book.  His Napoleon's Military Machine is also handy.
 

[olicana]

Forgot The Napoleonic Source Book. It's not really a good read, more of a find a fact encyclopaedia but yes, I'd add it to an early books to buy list.

[Cubs]

I read one recently, which I think was called 'The Waterloo Letters'. Really harrowing to get the experience of those on the ground, the horror and the mind-numbing terror they went through on the day. Obviously it was an exceptionally large and bloody battle for the era, but we often get caught up with the details of it in such a detached, dare I say 'fun' way, that it was a real jolt to see how many soldiers were suffering from what we now recognise as PTSD. It really brought the experiences of the normal soldier to life for me, with the insane fatalism of being in a complete lottery as regards survival.

[Ranthony]

Thank you gents, some very interesting suggestions to look up before sourcing, they sound like just the thing I'm after.

I believe I may have seen the waterloo letters in Foyles' London store - cubs, you've got me wishing I'd picked that up so I'll grab it when I'm in town.

I've Scarrow's roman series, brilliant, so thanks for the recommendation.

Cheers for these, very helpful

Ry

[vtsaogames]

How the armies fought: Tactics and the Experience of Battle in the Age of Napoleon by Muir.
I like this very much. Actual examples of combat rather than old myths regurgitated. Emphasis on reaction of humans in extreme stress, rather than number of shots fired, etc.

Also Napoleon: A Very Short Introduction by David A. Bell

I have not read this last but every one of the Very Short Introduction series that I have read has been excellent, all in around 100 pages.

EDIT: also The Napoleonic Wars: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) by Mike Rapport

Again, have not read this but the series is great.

[Ranthony]

How the armies fought: Tactics and the Experience of Battle in the Age of Napoleon by Muir.
I like this very much. Actual examples of combat rather than old myths regurgitated. Emphasis on reaction of humans in extreme stress, rather than number of shots fired, etc.

Also Napoleon: A Very Short Introduction by David A. Bell

I have not read this last but every one of the Very Short Introduction series that I have read has been excellent, all in around 100 pages.

EDIT: also The Napoleonic Wars: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) by Mike Rapport

Again, have not read this but the series is great.

Excellent, thank you sir

[DonFabrizio]

If I may add to the excelent suggestions already made:
Gunther E. Rothenberg, The Art of Warfare in the Age of Napoleon
I would suggest you read this or any of the other more general overviews first before going into the nitty girtty details of tactics and specific campaigns.