Wellington in the Peninsula by Jac Weller

I bought this book well over a year ago from a local second hand book shop called Scarthin Books a book shop near Matlock Bath (in Cromford) Derbyshire. A bookshop I can not recommend enough for both second hand and new books. I have bought many a book there through many years though it has taken on a greater proportion of new books than in times past.

When I finally got round to starting reading this a month ago I thought it was going to be too infected with the need to push Wellington at the cost of all others. This was born from the introduction that talked up the companion volume that read very much that Wellington not only won the battle of Waterloo but could have done so if the Prussians did not turn up and that the other allied troops held him back!!

Fortunately I pressed on and whilst it often points out failings in some of the Spanish actions actually seems rather more balanced to both the Spanish and Portuguese than I expected. I still have no desire to buy the Waterloo book but will dive back into this book whenever we are looking to play a battle from Wellington's Peninsular period both to get a flavour of the battle but also an aid to which troops to use and the ground we will be fighting over. 

Typical of a book of this one's age the maps are not a great help but the short paragraph at the end of each chapter discussing the ground is a definite help. Indeed I am rather drawn to the idea of fighting through all the battles described in the book one after the other in a kind of campaign. What more can I say?

Amazon UK has it in paperback from 1p and in hardback from £9.99 to £16.99 for a new copy. It's also available for 99p on Kindle so a few good buys available.

I found Weller's style very easy to read and I give it a big thumbs up for those wanting something that has a nice depth to it but at the same time does not feel like your wading through facts and figures despite the fact that you are indeed doing just that.

Napoleon's Campaign in Russia Anno 1812 Kindle Edition Review

Some of you will be aware that recently my wife convinced me we should get a Kindle as Amazon were offering the basic Kindle for silly money. Well I knew Amazon also offered history books on the Kindle as well as novels and some of these were either rather cheap or even free and what's more some of these free books actually were worth reading. The fact that Cath seemed to be interested it getting one of these devil machines got me to agree with the idea, I mean I may have enough books already waiting for me to read to keep me going a year or more but Cath has read over 100 books already this year. We could save a load of money! 

Fast forward about two or so months and we have about six books on the Kindle all of which seem to be mine. According to Cath I would never agreed to buying one for myself, though she still alludes to wanting to add something herself...... one day. So I have added to my stash of books having spent a total of £0.99p but of course the books are only any good if you actually read them, especially when it's on such a contraption.

Napoleon's Campaign in Russia Anno 1812 cost exactly zip so it's the right kind of price but I would prefer to pay for a book than waste time reading a poor book. Well first off it was published in 1913 three years before the author Achilles Rose died. The book is not so much about the campaign of 1812 but rather about the medical effects on the men during this campaign but not just the terrible retreat from Moscow.

Indeed the suffering and loss of life started on the way to Russia mostly starting with the passage through Poland. The book touches on the Military but this is mostly background information and the reader is really shown the effects on body and mind that such a gruelling march under poor conditions could cause. The irony of suffering the heat in thick woollen coats into Russia and the suffering from the cold in threadbare cloths on the way out is not lost on the reader.

I downloaded this book with the idea that it would be about the campaign, battles etc. and being free had the opportunity to discard it for want of interest with no loss than a few hours wasted getting into the book. But that is not what happened, instead I was rather taken with the subject. Sure I would not have picked the book to read if I had known the nature of the book but I have to say that I am pleased I did. It's well worth reading if you want to read around the period and adds a layer of knowledge I am richer for gaining.

For those without either a Kindle or interest in using any other electrical reader you can still buy a second hand paperback for less than £7, for the rest well it be free you know.

The effect has been that I will continue to try getting a book on the fringe of my interests and why not when they are giving them away?