Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies and Three Battles

Author(s): Bernard Cornwell

History

From the New York Times bestselling author comes the definitive, illustrated history of one of the greatest battles ever fought--a riveting nonfiction chronicle published to commemorate the two-hundreth anniversary of Napoleon's last stand. On June 18, 1815, the armies of France, Britain, and Prussia descended upon a quiet valley south of Brussels. In the previous three days, the French army had beaten the Prussians at Ligny and fought the British to a standstill at Quatre-Bras. The Allies were in retreat. The little village north of where they turned to fight the French army was called Waterloo. The blood-soaked battle to which the town gave its name would become a landmark in European history. In his first work of nonfiction, Bernard Cornwell combines his storytelling skills with a meticulously researched history to give a riveting chronicle of every dramatic moment--from Napoleon's daring escape from Elba to the smoke and gore of the three battlefields and their aftermath. Through quotes from the letters and diaries of Emperor Napoleon, the Duke of Wellington, and the ordinary officers and soldiers, Cornwell brings to life how it actually felt to fight those famous battles--as well as the moments of amazing bravery on both sides that left the outcome hanging in the balance until the bitter end. Published to coincide with the battle's bicentennial in 2015, Waterloo is a tense and gripping story of heroism and tragedy--and of the final battle that determined the fate of nineteenth-century Europe.


Product Information

Praise for Waterloo: '[...] An account that is both vivid and scholarly. Readers new to the Waterloo campaign could hope for no better introduction, and veterans will find fresh insights.' Independent 'Cornwell is excellent on the minutiae of tactics [...] he offers narrative clarity, and a sure grip on personalities and period.' Max Hastings, The Sunday Times 'An excellent first foray into non-fiction, and proof that good narrative history is no different from fiction - it's all about the story.' Evening Standard Praise for Bernard Cornwell's previous titles: 'Cornwell's narration is quite masterly and supremely well-researched.' Observer 'The best battle scenes of any writer I've ever read, past or present. Cornwell really makes history come alive.' George R.R. Martin

Bernard Cornwell was born in London, raised in Essex, and now lives mainly in the USA with his wife. In addition to the hugely successful Sharpe novels, Bernard Cornwell is the author of the Starbuck Chronicles, the Warlord series, the Grail Quest and the Alfred series and standalone battle books Azincourt and The Fort.

General Fields

  • : 9780007539406
  • : HarperCollins Publishers Limited
  • : William Collins
  • : 0.37
  • : February 2015
  • : 197mm X 130mm
  • : United Kingdom
  • : June 2015
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Bernard Cornwell
  • : Paperback
  • : English
  • : 940.2/742
  • : very good
  • : 352
  • : (Two 16-page colour plate sections and 12 maps), With index