The Anatomy of Glory: Napoleon and His Guard a Study in Leadership by Henry Lachouque soon to be presented for sale on the inspired BookLovers of Bath web site!
Published: Rhode Island: Brown Island Press; London: Lund Humphries, 1961, Hardback in dust wrapper.
Illustrated by way of: Colour Plates; Black & White Plates; Maps; Fold-Out Maps [2]; Maps to the endpapers and blanks; Appendices [5];
From the cover: THEY GRUMBLED BUT THEY KEPT ON FOLLOWING HIM
Of all his works, the Imperial Guard was Napoleons finest creation. Moulded from the flotsam of the French Revolution, this elite corps swept through Europe for fifteen years behind its indomitable master, sharing in his brilliant victories and bearing the brunt of his epic defeats with unfaltering devotion.
This narrative, presented through the eyes of the participants in an incomparable drama of endurance, heroism, and fidelity, has been adapted for English readers from Commandant Lachouques monumental work Napoleon Et La Garde Imperiale, crowned by the French Academy in 1957.
The men of the Guard marched in triumph into Milan, Vienna, Berlin, Warsaw, Madrid, Moscow. Members of the new popular knighthood , they taught the Grande Armee how to fight. They were tortured in Spain, frozen in Russia, shaken with typhus in Germany. Ragged and famished, they won a dozen battles in 60 days against overwhelming odds in the campaign of France.
When their chief fell from power in 1814 they followed him into exile in Elba. Then they returned to reconquer France in 20 days without firing a shot.
The Guard died at Waterloo. It never surrendered.
Its story from birth to death is told here for the first time in English, accompanied by more than 300 illustrations (90 in colour) most of which are from contemporary documents, and a third of which have never before been published.
The Appendix includes extensive notes on the illustrations and biographical notes on the artists represented.
Very Good in Good Dust Wrapper. A little rubbing to the edges of the dust wrapper with the laminate lifting and fading at the same. Original postal box now a little worn. Light spotting throughout, heavier to the start and finish but the text and plates remain bright and tight notwithstanding.
Blue boards with Gilt titling to the Spine & Upper Board. [XVIII] 564 pages. Index. 10¾” x 7½”.
Of course, if you don’t like this one, may I fascinate you with a carefully selected medley hither or maybe further, hand picked, books in my Biography catalogue?
BookLovers of Bath 