Napoleon Bonaparte

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Part 2 of an excellent biography
napoleon book bombs
Flawed
Fair, balanced, thorough, and entertaining life of Napoleon
What Napoleon's Leadership Really Tells Us

The Reign of Napoleon Bonaparte
Robert B. Asprey
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte: A Life
Napoleon: A Political Life
How to Make War
The Days of the French Revolution

ASIN: 0465004822
Release Date: 2002-10-15

Amazon.com

Between the years 1805 and 1815, the armies of Napoleon Bonaparte conquered most of continental Europe, establishing their leader, if but briefly, as "a new Charlemagne." In the second part of his two volumes on the life of the emperor, military historian Robert Asprey examines the armies' triumphs and eventual defeat, following in their footsteps from Spain to Russia, and on to Waterloo.

Bonaparte, Asprey writes, aspired to forge and lead a united, peaceful Europe, a quest that required much blood to be shed. A former U.S. marine officer, Asprey is a reliable commentator on matters of battlefield strategy and tactics, and his book's greatest strength is his power to invoke the feel of bloody engagements, which include the Battle of Borodino, where more than 40,000 Russians fell in a single day (cut down, he notes, by the more than 2 million rounds that French muskets fired); Wagram, where French forces managed to eke out victory over their Austrian foes despite a series of costly blunders; Corunna, where the French forces, having marched 15 and more miles a day, proved "that there have probably been no tougher soldiers in the world"; and the decisive action at Waterloo, where French, Belgian, German, and English armies clashed amid thunderstorms and confusion to an end that was anything but inevitable.

Other books do a better job of treating Napoleon as a political being, but Asprey's is one of the better recent books on Napoleon as general, and students of military history will learn much from his account. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

Robert Asprey completes his definitive, two-volume biography with an intimate, fast-paced look at Napoleon's daring reign and tragic demise with more of the personality and passion that marked the first volume of this cradle to the grave biography.

In The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, Asprey showed us that Napoleon was not the father of chaos, but rather an heir to it. In this companion volume, we see Napoleon struggling to subdue the turmoil. We peer over Napoleon's shoulder as he solidifies his growing empire through a series of marriages, military victories, and shrewd diplomatic manipulations. We watch Napoleon lose control of his empire, plot his return from Elba, rally peasants in his march to Paris, endure defeat at Waterloo and suffer exile and a lonely death on the island of St. Helena. Robert Asprey tells this fascinating, tragic tale in lush narrative detail.

Customer Reviews:

Part 2 of an excellent biography.......2006-12-15

This is part two of the best biography of Napoleon that I have read. It is a focus on political and military history but does a decent job of covering the social aspects of napoleon's reforms. This book really focuses on the Napoleonic empire and its eventual fall. It also covers his return to power and does an excellent job of presenting the information clearly. The prose is well done and really makes for quick and interesting reading. This is a must have for anyone studying this era.

napoleon book bombs.......2004-02-09

I agree with Mr. Brooks' negative review on "Reign of Napoleon Bonaparte," by Robert Asprey. It would be comparable to reading a biography of Babe Ruth that was written by studying the box scores. The book has hardly anything about Napoleon's persona, which is promised in the preface, and important events are trivialized and hardly mentioned. After reading this and learning almost nothing, I opened a copy of Emil Ludwig's biograpy of Napoleon, written in 1926, which I had picked up years ago. Ludwig's book is much better.

Flawed.......2002-03-16

The second volume of Asprey's biography of Napoleon makes the same error of the first one: he focuses entirely on Napoleon's military career while virtually ignoring every other aspect of the man's life. Asprey has billed his book as an attempt to see the whole Napoleon, but in this he fails. Napoleon's personal life, his domestic policies in France, his philosophy, are passed over with scarely a mention.

Furthermore, even in covering Napoleon's military career, Asprey falls short. The section on the crossing of the Danube River during the 1809 Austrian Campaign, one of the most fascinating events in Napoleon's career, is covered in a confusing and slipslod manner, leaving the reader utterly at a loss to what actually happened. The Battle of Dresden, a massive engagement which lasted two days and was Napoleon's last major victory, is mentioned only in passing, without even a full sentence devoted to it. Overall, the writing gives the impression of an author in a hurry to meet a deadline, unable to carefully edit and correct his work.

This work fails in its stated purpose to present a full view of Napoleon's life, its writing style is somewhat sloppy and overall the book fails to impress.

Fair, balanced, thorough, and entertaining life of Napoleon.......2001-12-05

As an avid history buff I've searched over the years for a really good modern, readable and fair biography of Napoleon. I had big hopes with a number of "high profile" works in the past few years, but I found so many of them were written by English authors who were none too objective and went so far as to compare Napoleon to Hitler (e.g. Alistair Horne's terribly biased "How Far From Austerlitz" and even more biased work by Alan Schom). That comparison is simply ridiculous -- no one talks today of "Hitler-Kulture," he left no legacy but murder and madness. Napoleon on the other hand left numerous infrastrucural improvements, the 'Code Napoleon' judicial system largely still in use not just in France but in dozens of countries worldwide, the list goes on. He didn't simply "grab for power" as many would have you believe, it was the French Revolution and because of his immense popularity throughout France he was -invited- to be Consul in an effort to end the chaos and Terrors. All this and more is nicely characterized in Mr. Asprey's work. As the author makes so clear, much of what is commonly known about Napoleon is taken out of context, "history written by the victors" as it were -- of course the English demonize Napoleon, and he hated them just the same, but in the book you find that it was not Napoleon who started one war after another in Europe but in fact it was usually the English as the "bad guy," bankrolling and instigating 7, yes SEVEN, coalitions against Napoleon, all but the last of which they lost (and consequently lost so much of Europe). I was drawn to this biography of Napoleon because I had previously read the author's Frederick the Great biography, which I counted as the second-best biography I've ever read (after Robert K. Massey's Pulitzer-winning Peter the Great). He did not disappoint -- this is a truly great work, sure there are probably some areas here and there one might like to know more about, one reviewer here called his treatment "superficial," but again, let's be fair, Napoloeon's life is vast, Mr. Asprey gives two very full action-packed volumes for a terrific overview. I agree with another reviewer here, take this one plus the Vincent Cronin and you have a pretty darn good feel for Napoleon and his times.

What Napoleon's Leadership Really Tells Us.......2001-10-29

For those who read history with an eye for understanding the human traits that so enrage or encourage us all, reading the second book of Asprey's work on Napoleon reminds us what the elusive term "leadership" really is. For those who were taught that leadership is "not a personal or individual thing but rather a relationship and a process whereby people influence one another concerning real changes they intend for the organization or a society" this latest book should serve as a wake-up call. Leadership in Napoleon's time (and today?) is a personal and individual thing. Once again Asprey has meticulously researched a side of Napoleon vis a vis his leadership roles as simultaneous imperial administrator and military commander, with such incredible insight that the reader is forced to rethink all that he or she thought about this incredibly complex man. Most telling, and most prescient of all the chapters, are the end ones describing how the many nation entities of the European continent, along with England, waged incessant battle until Napoleon was doomed to failure. States Asprey, "Why did (Napoleon) persist in his discredited strategy (moving ahead without reinforcement/resupply)? The short answer is because he did not believe that it 'was' discredited. We are dealing here with disparate and complex factors working on a strange amalgam of past and present caught in the fearful coils of the arrogance of ingnorance, trapped in his belief of enemy impotence and cowardice, failing to recognize that his once omnipotent and beautiful army had weakened and withered into halting old age, that the political elixir which he had brewed to save Europe from itself had turned poisonously bitter and impotent...That was the real key to his disjointed actions and spurious decisions and it is at once terribly sad, yet in another sense strangely noble --- a defeated man refusing to accept defeat." And contributing to Napoleon's defeat (and education) was the war he was forced to contend with in Spain against terrorists and guerrillas. Those forces wore Napoleon's army and lessening resources down, weakening them to the point they could not be used in future battles. Napoleon loathed terrorism and guerilla tactics, but in the end, was forced to use them to wear down opposition forces. Asprey makes nearly two hundred years of history as relevant as if it had happened on 9/11/01. It is now up to the greatest military and economic power on Earth to deal with disparate and complex factors and not get caught in the fearful coils of the arrogance of ignorance. Asprey reminds our leadership how and why.

Average customer rating:

Good Read
An Inch Deep and a Mile Wide
Great biography--for those already familiar with the subject
The best biography on Napoleon part 1
A fine introductory biography on Napoleon

The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte
Robert Asprey
Manufacturer: Westview Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Reign of Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte: A Life
How to Make War
Napoleon: A Political Life
The Days of the French Revolution

ASIN: 0465048811
Release Date: 2001-10-02

Book Description

Robert Asprey charts Napoleon's thrilling, reckless rise to power in this fast-paced first volume of the definitive biography of the fascinating, enigmatic, and still mysterious tragic conqueror.

Ever since 1821, when he died at age fifty-one on the forlorn and windswept island of St. Helena, Napoleon Bonaparte has been remembered as either demi-god or devil incarnate. In The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, the first volume of a two-volume cradle-to-grave biography, Robert Asprey instead treats him as a human being. Asprey tells this fascinating, tragic tale in lush narrative detail. The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte is an exciting, reckless thrill ride as Asprey charts Napoleon's vertiginous ascent to fame and the height of power. Here is Napoleon as he was-not saint, not sinner, but a man dedicated to and ultimately devoured by his vision of himself, his empire, and his world.

Customer Reviews:

Good Read.......2007-03-20

I am a high school senior who is planning to major in history in college I thought that it was a very engaging book even for my limited vocabulary and reading ability. It is truly an unbiased essay on Napoleon's life and adds an element I've never found before. Asprey shows what we are all missing out on when people write biased biographies. A must have if you want a book on Napoleon's life, military battles, and his destructive relationship with that (expletive) Josephine. Hope you guys like it.

An Inch Deep and a Mile Wide.......2007-01-13

All the major events are covered, but there is little or no analysis/detailed description of those events. If you have little or no previous knowledge of Napoleon, this book would leave you thinking that the battle of Austerlitz was really not a big deal at all.

Very disappointing read.

Great biography--for those already familiar with the subject.......2006-12-21

I did my usual speed-reading of the first 100 pages, then realized I didn't really understand a lot of things about who Napoleon was, what he was doing, or why. Figuring I'd managed to skip the relevant information I carefully re-read those pages. Still confused, I tried it again. No joy.

Examples: the Jacobin Club is mentioned. Robespierre is tossed about with abandon. Someone named Louis XXXVIII, and Marie Antoinette are mentioned. Etc, etc. I happily admit my ignorance. (I'm probably more familiar with his military strategy than the average person, but I play Napoleonic-era wargames.)

My knowledge of the French Revolution is limited to "Let them eat cake," beheadings with ze guillotine, and mass riots. While I didn't expect an expert-level education about the revolution from a book about Napoleon, I didn't realize it explains absolutely nothing about what was going on at the time.

If you're already familiar with Napoleon and the environment in late 18th-century Europe you will probably enjoy this work. If you aren't familar with either subject there are most certainly better biographies--though I don't believe any written in the last 10 years are worthwhile for any except the specialists.

The best biography on Napoleon part 1.......2006-12-14

Asprey writes the best biography of Napoleon in his two book series. This first book deals with Napoleons younger years and obsession with Alexander the Great taking us through the revolution where he delivered his "whiff of grapeshot" that would give him his first commands. The analysis is through and done well leaving little out. The prose is engaging and this is one of the better written biographies from this period. If you are looking for an introduction to Napoleon or are an avid fan that wants to read something engaging this two book series is a great choice.

A fine introductory biography on Napoleon.......2004-07-03

I believed that many of the previous reviewers were probably misled into thinking that this biography was something gear toward a higher level. Upon reading this book, I discovered that this book is perfectly geared toward the casual reader and those just coming into the Napoleonic study. The book proves to be well researched in information, very easy to read and equally easy to understand. I basically regards this book as very good introductory biography on Napoleon up to the end of 1805.

To a veteran Napoleonic bluff, this book may not served your purpose outside of reading a relatively objective book on Napoleon's early career. As other reviewers wrote, the book tries to revealed Napoleon the man instead of the Napoleonic concept that often swirled around his life and accomplishments.

Amazon.com

You won't come away from this energetic biography thinking much of the French emperor either as a man or as a general. Historian Alan Schom depicts Napoleon (1769-1821) as a cold-hearted manipulator: Schom's blistering accounts of the 1798-99 Egyptian campaign and the disastrous 1812 retreat from Russia show the French army decimated due to its leader's failure to inform himself about the lands he was invading or to properly plan for provisioning his troops. The fun of this book comes from vigorous prose that vividly evokes Bonaparte's titanic personality and the colorful band of schemers surrounding him.

Book Description

A definitive biography of Bonaparte from his birth in Corsica to his death in exile on St Helena, this book examines all aspects of Bonaparte's spectacular rise to power and his dizzying fall. It offers close examination of battlefield victories, personal torments, military genius, Bonaparte's titanic ego and his relationships with the French government, Talleyrand, Wellington and Josephine. A consummate biography of a complex man.</P>

Customer Reviews:

Pretty good, but not perfect.......2007-06-17

A very negative view of Napoleon, however possibly the most accurate. Though the author continues to consider Napoleon as a military genius, he focuses on failures such as Egypt, the English Channel, Russia, and Waterloo. Clearly the accounts of Field Marshall Davout success despite being severely outnumbered subtract from Napoleon's brilliance. It would of been a grand addition for a chapter on him as their was on Fouche.
Most opposed to this account of Napoleon do not wish to acknowledge that he was bad enough to: have Europe align against him, his warmongering, his manipulation(his coup d'etat alone shows manipulation), a crushed European economy, etc.
In many ways this book can be seen as overly negative, but i can imagine it only counteracts all the overly positive accounts of his life. Perhaps this book with one of the more positive accounts of Napoleons life would give you the most precise understanding possible of Napoleon, a real man, not a mythical hero, legend, or tyrant.
For those who believe Schom is simply out to get Napoleon/France, the Germanic name would lead me to believe he's already been satisfied twice over.

Readable, despite flaws..........2007-05-16

I am not student enough of Napoleon Bonaparte to determine whether Schom's biography was "overly" negative. Thus, to comment on this unexpected controversy, as others have done, would be improper. Suffice it to say that the book is largely readable if lacking the excitement one would expect from such a life. It hovers just above average in it's ability to generate page-turning momentum.

Where the book falters most blatantly is in the maps Schom chose to accompany his battlefied narratives. These maps show no troop movements whatsoever and in many instances show no troop locations either. Napoleon's military genius (or extraordinary luck, according to Schom) is constantly referred to, therefore it is more than annoying that no one thought to strategically plot Austerlitz, Smolensk, Leipzig, or even Waterloo cartographically. It *is* Napoleon, for crying out loud.

Bonaparte's civil and military subordinates receive ample space as do the various loves of his life. Josephine is portrayed somewhat less flatteringly than posterity would generally admit. Indeed, no one on the side of empire is given so much as a kudo outside the invincible Marshal Davout. But, then, world domination rarely has it's retrospective proponents.

I enjoyed the book though I pecked at it occasionally as, in places, it became something of a chore. The knowledge gleaned was a definite plus, but, for reasons acknowledged, I would be hard-pressed to rate Napoleon Bonaparte: A Life anything above 3 stars.

Garbage.......2007-01-09

This book is garbage the author really seems to hate Napoleon, and think all his genius was luck, everything about the bonapartes is evil according to this author. I'd pay more for paper towels than this book

200 years and still controversal.......2006-12-22

I have mixed feelings about this book. I think it was a good read, but very anti-Bonaparte. It is a measure of this man that he can spark such angry commentaries almost 200 years after his death.
The contrast between this book and earlier efforts such as "Anatomy of Glory" and "The Campaigns of Napoleon" is quite striking.
I would not read this book in isolation, but as a counter-balance to other more pro-Napoleon biographies.
Bonaparte was far too complicated a man and ruler to be simplistically portrayed as either all bad or all good.

French glory is always preferable to the truth eh?.......2006-08-29

Napoleon was a butcher, the Hitler of his age. Three million dead from the armies or europe, millions more forced into his armies and taken from their homes, only to return mangled both physically and mentally. He created a police state, with a vast internal spy network, with no real freedom, his enemies siezed and executed. He stole and extorted from everyone, particularly his own people. He destroyed the entire economy of europe and particularly France. He reintroduced slavery to France's colonies. He turned a potential democracy into a dictatorship and used his power for his own glory and enrichment without a thought to the death and destruction he left in his wake. He routinely executed prisoners of war, and despite repeated pleadings from his docotrs, he never established even the most basic care for the wounded, allowing them to die in the ditches and fields where they fell - nothing to him anymore. He lied incessently and constantly overstated his victories and his role in them. He was a coward and deserted his armies at least three times (Egypt, Russia, Waterloo) and in the end he lost far more than he won.

Any psychologist would take at look at this lying, murdering, remorseless monster and quickly brand him a psycopath. Indeed the instances of those around him calling him mad or insane number in the hundreds.

And for what? Every campaign was for his own personal glory and nothing else. Napoleon never fought against an aggressor, nor for any noble cause. It was simply the need of a severly sick mind to prove himself. For this millions died.

Those who glorify this evil man should be ashamed of themselves. Even the French were sick of him at the end, although today many, believing the lies of French 'glory' now are willing to dismiss all the death and destruction. Oh but what about his accomplishments? The Bank of France - he simply copied the Bank of England and then proceeded to use the BOF for his own purposes of financing his aggressive wars, banckrupting the BOF, the French goverment, and France generally several times. The Napoleonic code - developed but not implemented before Napoleon even arrived, and then used when it suited his purposes, but generally ignored by him. And his military genius? Well he night have won a few victories, but he lost the war, twice.

Schom has done an admirable job in presenting the truth about this monster. Those who continue to glorify this mass murderer are morally pathetic.

NO FOOTPRINTS IN THE BUSH (Scribner Crime Classics)

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NO FOOTPRINTS IN THE BUSH (Scribner Crime Classics)
Arthur Upfield
Manufacturer: Touchstone
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0020259409

Average customer rating:

Everything Old is New Again

Murder Down Under
Arthur W. Upfield
Manufacturer: Touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0684850591

Amazon.com

For readers who thought they'd exhausted the list of Golden Age mystery writers, Australian author Arthur Upfield (1888-1964) is often a pleasant surprise. The tales of Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte (or Bony, as he is known) offer all of the major pleasures of Christie, Tey, and Doyle; but Upfield's works also carry the freshness of his island continent setting and of his "half-caste" hero. Bony, born of an aborigine mother and a white father, is a genius of criminal science and also a classic gentleman. Suave and always impeccably dressed (except, of course, when in disguise), he solves mysteries through patience. As he often repeats to John Muir--one of the many young men he tutors: "Never race Time. Make Time an ally, for Time is the greatest detective that ever was or ever will be." Through Bony, Upfield's progressive series frequently explores the foundations of Australian race prejudices and defies them with Bonaparte's genial wit and disarming smile.

In Murder Down Under the detective is on holiday in western Australia but inevitably winds up with a working vacation, this time assisting young Sergeant Muir. Farmer George Loftus has disappeared, and his car was found smashed along the world's longest fence in the wheat town of Burracoppin. The days before Loftus's disappearance are filled with clues that point to Leonard Wallace, owner of the Burracoppin Hotel. Loftus had given Wallace a ride from Perth back to the hotel, and the pair had shared drinks in the bar before driving off together at 1 a.m.--shortly before the disappearance. Wallace claims that the two had argued and that he had left the car well before the accident. Now, Bony must parse truth and fiction in his inimitable style. Along the way, however, he meets the bizarre Mr. Jelly, an amateur criminologist who collects portraits of murders and who may have some insights into the case. Murder Down Under is a true classic: a rich world of quirky characters and fascinating scenery built around a complex and satisfying puzzle. Other adventures of Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte: The Bone Is Pointed, The Bachelors of Broken Hill, and The Mystery of Swordfish Reef. --Patrick O'Kelley

Customer Reviews:

Everything Old is New Again.......2000-01-05

If you like stylized mysteries, Agatha Christie, Australia, or unusual detectives you will probably enjoy this book by Arthur Upfield. The setting is Western Australia of the '30s to '50s. The unusual detective hero is the half-Aboriginal and half-white Napoleon Bonaparte ("Bony"). His struggle is to fit himself into the full range of Australian life, while being an outsider to both cultural worlds.

The real treat here is the insight you get into life in Western Australia in the first half of the 20th Century. Like Christie, the book is somewhat mannered in its approach. But the detailed view of Australians trying to live an "English" life in this remote corner will remain with you for a long time.

Upfield's view of the Aborigine in Australian society was probably quite daring for its time, but today it may make you shudder at its racist overtones. Never mind, keep on reading. This isn't life today in Australia; it is life as viewed through Australian eyes forty or fifty years ago. You will find yourself rooting for Detective Napoleon Bonaparte with his Aboriginal wisdom and Dreamworld view of crime and mystery.

Death of a Swagman
Average customer rating:

excellent introduction to Bony and Australian bush folklore

Death of a Swagman
Arthur Upfield
Manufacturer: Scribner Paper Fiction
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0684174820

Customer Reviews:

excellent introduction to Bony and Australian bush folklore.......1999-05-24

Death of a Swagman was written in the mid point of Arthur Upfields career and shows in his attention to detail and his ability to capture the feling of Australian country towns in the early part of our century. The story is a good detective novel in its own right with plenty of plots and action and red herrings. Bony's relationship with Rose Marie is used as a strong pivot point throughout the novel giving a useful viewpoint of the running of the town from a child's perspective. The advantage of this book over other bony novels is the character development of the subjects. This gives a depth and humanity which remains after the story is finished. The narrative of the swagmans lifestyle and its mythology is addressed here with great detail and provides a refreshing glimpse of a bygone era.

Average customer rating:

Very Oz -- 70-odd years ago
It certainly is
Well-Intentioned Folly
An Awesome Book!
The stunning detective captures the past

The BONE IS POINTED
Arthur W. Upfield
Manufacturer: Touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0684850575

Customer Reviews:

Very Oz -- 70-odd years ago.......2007-02-22

1. Some very strange comments below, eg,
"a poignant introduction to" and "a stunning commentary about the nature of race and cultural relations in Australia"; "an indictment of the cultural politics of Australia"; "condemnation of the inequality that has embraced Australia for more than a century";
"Detective fiction provided a way to support civil and social rights for aboriginals in a time when such acts were not accepted"; "the racial tensions of this society";
"What Bony finds leads him and the reader into a struggle to create an Australian identity in the vast and desolate landscape; a struggle between an aboriginal identity and white. As Bony skates the race line, the tension between the white world and the black becomes greater..";
"comments on the racial divide in Australia";
"Some of the book could be considered racist by contemporary standards (such as the use of "boss" toward the whites for example), but the overall story seems quite progressive for its time..";
"Comments on Australia's color line"; "Some bits intended to be quite enlightened fifty years ago may strike some readers today as racist"; ETC.

Have we been reading the same book? Arthur Upfield heaps scorn on the _urban_ Australian, ignorant of the outback & therefore dismissive & patronising towards its inhabitants -- white _& especially_ black. Upfield is especially scathing about those urban whites who dismiss Aboriginal culture as 'primitive'. He champions its _age_ & deep knowledge, & the undoubted power & reality of some of its so-called 'magical' practices. The book turns on the latter: Bony is definitely affected by the bone-pointing: the impact is real. And equally it is _only_ the Aboriginal medicine man who can bring Bony back from the point of death. Upfield brilliantly expounds Aboriginal philosophy -- _not_ in "Aboriginal patois" (as one review puts it) but in Aboriginal English --ie, a variety of Pidgin.

Upfield also depicts accurately the relationships between the outback whites & 'their' Aborigines -- the 'station' Aborigines, as distinct from those who are still 'bush'. This relationship is mutual respect & interdependence. The station-owner is called 'boss' precisely because he _is_ that: the _employer_ of _his_ station Aborigines. He supplies food, housing, clothing, etc, _&_ employment: in the running of the station (managing the sheep &/or cattle, the horses, etc; managing the water & the land, etc.)

The outback whites want to preserve Aboriginal _culture_ from destruction by the church & other urban whites. Upfield constantly contrasts the depth of Aboriginal culture -- already old before the whites had even descended from the trees -- & the superficiality of the so-called 'civilisation' with which urban whites want to replace this ancient outlook & way of life. So the tension in Bony is the tension between his ancient roots in the bush -- roots that are millions of years old, & the pull of 'white' _culture_: rational, emotionless, scientific.

2. "the English treatment of the Aboriginals and the Aboriginals resulting feelings...an often ignored group of people"

(a) ignored by whom? Certainly not the Australians (b)'English' & 'Australian' are _not_, repeat not, the same. The Australians are quite distinct, & refer to the English as 'Poms'. What Upfield shows us is (1)how the outback Oz whites interrelate with the Aborigines -- on terms of knowledge & understanding (2)the patronising ignorance of the urban Oz whites.

It certainly is.......2006-08-27

This is brilliant. Detective-Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the most original and endearing characters in mystery fiction. His mother's Aboriginal, and he solves cases in the Australian outback. This book was published in 1947. Learn about life in old Australia AND sink your teeth into a juicy mystery.

Well-Intentioned Folly.......2002-04-10

Arthur Upfield clearly has a grasp of what is required to create a solid piece of detective fiction, and yet, though all the necessaries of the genre are represented (murder mystery, self-assured detective, etc.) it seems there is still something missing. Though this book failed to grab my attention as a modern detective novel, it did serve as a poignant introduction to the not-so-underlying politics of Australia. Upfield's well-intentioned detective, Napoleon Bonaparte, known to readers as Bony, is infinitely aware of his part aboriginal, part white background, and this awareness is fundamental to all other action. As Bony attempts to solve the disappearance of the drunken Jeffrey Anderson he embraces aspects from all areas of his background, employing his ancestral history to reach a conclusion about the disappearance and death of Anderson. Bony's lineage means more to this tale than its ability to help him solve the mystery of the moment however. It is a stunning commentary about the nature of race and cultural relations in Australia. Upfield has written a book that serves as an indictment of the cultural politics of Australia, painting a picture that is a means by which he may critique the behavior of the very people most likely to seek out his tales. As a result, he is able to deliver a message that would otherwise fall on deaf ears. His is a tale is a condemnation of the inequality that has embraced Australia for more than a century.

An Awesome Book!.......2002-04-09

"The Bone is Pointed"introduces readers to one of the most fascinating detective characters in fiction today. Set in 1940's Australia, Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte presents an interesting and challenging character. The son of a white man and an aboriginal woman,"Bony"brings characteristics of both cultures to his detecting. The story begins when Jeffrey Anderson mysteriously disappears into the bush while out inspecting his employer's cattle station one April morning. Anderson was known around the area as a cruel man with a bad temper, thus his absence is not really mourned. However, a search is begun but yields no results. Five months later Bony is called in to solve this seemingly unsolvable mystery. Using both modern detecting skills and aboriginal intuition and dealing with both English feelings of colonialism and Aboriginal rights, Bony solves the puzzle while narrowly avoiding death himself.
On a deeper level, Upfield presents a political and social critique of the English treatment of Aboriginals in the first half of the 20th century. For the 1940's, Upfield even broaching this topic was radical. Detective fiction provided a way to support civil and social rights for aboriginals in a time when such acts were not accepted. Bony presents a character who combines seemingly "the best of both worlds": a civilized, intelligent, and humorous man who understands the reasons behind both the English treatment of the Aboriginals and the Aboriginals resulting feelings. This book is not only an excellent mystery but also a wonderful look at an often ignored group of people.

The stunning detective captures the past.......2002-04-09

From the very first page, the reader's mind starts spinning, trying to figure out the mysterious death of a young man. The clever Detective-Inspector Bonaparte embarks on a challenge to pin the murderer a long five months after the incident. This book is set in a small town, a ranch-like state, which aids the book in obtaining a individual essence for each of the characters. Since the events take place in one place, we see the characters interacting with each other and are able to form our own opinions for ourselves. This only creates an even more climatic ending when Bonaparte surprises the reader with an extreme discovery.
The reader is able to view the sharp wit and good-natured humor of the detecive. The detective is almost suggested to be mad, or stubbornly insane, because it seems like he is trying to find a needle in haystack. In is only in the end, when we see through the eyes of the detective, when we are able to agree on the intelligence and creativity of the characters, especially the detective himself. The local inhabitants are keeping their own secrets, so the reader is forced to think of ways to hurdle obstacles. Upfield is in his glory, writing his best and demonstrating his clever ideas and wit.

Visual Revelations: Graphical Tales of Fate and Deception From Napoleon Bonaparte To Ross Perot

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Stick with Tufte
Fantastic journey through the world of charts and graphs!
Unseen

Visual Revelations: Graphical Tales of Fate and Deception From Napoleon Bonaparte To Ross Perot
Howard Wainer
Manufacturer: LEA, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0805838783

Book Description

To function in modern society complex data must be absorbed and understood at a breakneck pace. The most efficient way to do this is through data-based graphics. This book is an exploration and celebration of graphical methods of data presentation.

Visual Revelations' principal purpose is to enlighten, inform, and amuse the reader regarding the shortcomings of common graphical practices; particularly how they can misinform while simultaneously providing models of wonderful graphics. There are many examples of the best graphic practice, graphs that go beyond conveying, facts, and structure to be able to carry emotion as well.

Aimed at an educated, lay audience, this volume benefits anyone who must either convey or receive quantitative information, including designers, statisticians, and people in the media.

Customer Reviews:

Stick with Tufte.......2003-09-22

Don't waste your time on this one. Get Ed Tufte's first two books. Wainer spends many pages regurgitating and adulating Tufte's previously published work--unfortunately with less clarity.

Fantastic journey through the world of charts and graphs!.......1998-02-06

I read this book, cover to cover, after flipping through looking at the pictures. What a great read! I will never look at a chart again, without a newfound (and critical ) eye towards the graphical representation of the information. I am also glad to see the author writing for the on-line e-zine IntellectualCapital -

Unseen.......1997-12-13

I heard Howard Wainer speak at a conference last week, and I am ordering his book sight unseen. His intellect, wit, and humor in front of the group was amazing. If the book captures half of that, it will be a treat.

The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte

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The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte
Karl Marx , and D. D. L.
Manufacturer: Mondial
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Binding: Paperback

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Wings Above the Diamantina (A Scribner Crime Classic)

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Outback Queensland, 1936, and Napoleon Bonaparte

Wings Above the Diamantina (A Scribner Crime Classic)
Arthur Upfield
Manufacturer: Scribner Paper Fiction
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0020259700

Customer Reviews:

Outback Queensland, 1936, and Napoleon Bonaparte.......2000-03-08

Wings Above the Diamantina (1936) is one of several mysteries by Arthur Upfield set in the Australian outback, and featuring the detective Napoleon Bonaparte, who is part Aborigine and who retains and uses his bush lore to good advantage. Many readers who are only slightly familiar with Australia find the Upfield "Bony" novels fascinating in their vivid depiction of the bush, not only the appearence, but also the wildlife, weather, and how the natives and cattlemen alike survive. The mystery is to me of secondary importance, indeed I regret at times when it intrudes on the accounts of bush places and people. This particular novel, set in the early 1930s, will interest some readers with its description of social life on a cattle station, from the wealthy daughter of the owner who, though very intelligent, wears a dress hat and white gloves while visiting a cattle drive, to the bushmen who work on the station, all with sympathetic and accurate understanding. This is not serious anthropology of course (thank heavens), it is escape fiction, but all the same the reader feels that something about distant people and places is learned, and very enjoyably too. The writing is not of the high literary class (thank heavens again), but is very satisfactory. One is not apt to forget the description of the rare red sand cloud, for example, nor trying to cross the Diamantina, a river usually lacking even a particle water, when it floods to over 5 miles wide. If you like wild places this will interest you. I think Upfield's characters and settings beat Agatha Christie's any time. Four stars as a mystery, 3 as "literature," 5 for showing the bush in the 1930s. Who would work when they could go on walkabout?

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