Samuel F. B. Morse: His Letters and Journals: Volume 1
Samuel F. B. Morse and Edward Lind Morse
Book
The American inventor Samuel Morse (1791-1872) spent decades fighting to be recognised for his key...
The Dog Book: Dogs of Historical Distinction
Book
The perfect gift for any dog lover, this is the story of man's best friend from the canine gods of...
Coalitions
Tabletop Game
Coalitions is based on the series of conflicts known as the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
With Wellington's Outposts: The Peninsular and Waterloo Letters of John Vandeleur
Book
'The author has done a quite outstanding job of editing and footnoting this rare memoir ...this will...
The Forts and Fortifications of Europe 1815-1945 - The Central States: Germany, Austria-Hungary and Czechoslovakia
J.E. Kaufmann and H.W. Kaufmann
Book
After the Napoleonic Wars the borders of Central Europe were redrawn and relative peace endured...
David McK (3425 KP) rated Lord Hornblower (Hornblower #10) in Books
Feb 21, 2021
Yes, just one year before the end of the Napoleonic Wars and Napoleons final defeat at Waterloo in 1815.
This novel also takes place over that year, from his (successful) completion of that mission, to a landing in the port of Le Havre, to the conference of Vienna where the victors carve up Napoleon's empire, to Napoleon's return and to his final defeat - admittedly, the decidedly not perfect Hornblower may not be personally involved in all those latter events, but they do impact upon him as he is away visiting old friends (from a few novels back) in France when Napoleon returns.
And, I have to say, he has a very lucky escape indeed!
Only 1 more novel to go now to complete the set ...
David McK (3425 KP) rated Death to the French in Books
Jul 26, 2021
Hornblower, however, is not the only of his creations that has their adventures set during the Napoleonic Wars: Rifleman Dodd is another.
He's also one that I was totally unfamiliar with, or with the fact that this creation (and story) inspired Bernard Cornwell's still-ongoing 'Sharpe' series - it's very easy, reading this, to see the similarities between the two creations!
This is set in Spain, round about the times of the Lines of Torres Vedras (1810 or thereabouts, I think), with Rifleman Dodd cut off from his company during a retreat and forced to spend several months behind enemy (French) lines as he tries to make his was back to his own company, sometimes with the (dubious) aid of Spanish (or was it Portuguese? ) Guerilla's and other times entirely on his own.
This also doesn't shy away from the full horrors of the war, with several of the passages and chapters told from the French point of view.
David McK (3425 KP) rated Sharpe's Company (1994) in Movies
Oct 10, 2021 (Updated Oct 10, 2021)
I say what was then, as there have since been more novels set before, during or even after The Napoleonic Wars, which provided the background for these movies.
This - both novel and movie - is the one that starts with the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo and ends with that of Badajoz, with (Sean Beans) Captain Richard Sharpe 'pushed aside' in the intervening period by those who can afford to buy his commission. This is also the one with the mad, twitching Obadiah Hakeswill (portrayed here by Pete Postlethwaite), who isn't so much a danger to Sharpe himself as he is too his men - Patrick Harper included - and who has a history with Sharpe.
I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again: I so wish they had a proper budget for these movies!
David McK (3425 KP) rated Sharpe's Revenge in Books
Feb 18, 2019
I'm approaching the end of that project, with (currently) only two more novels to go: [book:Sharpe's Waterloo|328986], and [book:Sharpe's Devil|615225].
This particular entry is set during the latter days of the Napoleonic Wars: during the Peace of Amiens in 1814, to be precise, with Sharpe's personal and professional life falling apart after he is framed by wily French spymaster Pierre Ducos. This novel also sees the fall-out from certain events in the previous entries ([book:Sharpe's Siege|564536]), starting with an - illegal - duel between Sharpe and the naval commander who was responsible for abandoning him and his men behind enemy lines, moving on to his cuckolding by his wife Jane by a former friend, and even expanding on the family of the commander of that French fort with one family member, in particular, playing a very important role in Sharpe's future life!
Vanity Fair
8.3
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TV Show
A new adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray’s, Vanity Fair, has been commissioned as a...
period drama