| Ammianus | 24 Oct 2016 3:54 p.m. PST |
Guibert: Father of Napoleon's Grande Armée
(Campaigns and Commanders Series)
University of OK Press.
Hopefully my copy from Amazon.US should be here Wednesday! |
| Brechtel198 | 05 Nov 2016 6:00 a.m. PST |
I have received my copy and am about one-third through it. |
| John Miller | 05 Nov 2016 7:35 p.m. PST |
Ammianus & Brechtel198: Due to limits on my book budget, not to mention space limitations, I wonder if you guys would consider rendering an opinion on this book when you have finished? I would very much appreciate hearing your thoughts. Thanks, John Miller |
| Brechtel198 | 06 Nov 2016 3:10 a.m. PST |
It's a good book, well-worth having. That being said, it isn't the first or second book I would choose if I was building a Napoleonic library. There are other books, depending on your personal interest, that should or would come before this one. The subtitle, 'Father of Napoleon's Grande Armee' is one of the things in the book that I don't agree with. It just isn't the case and the author does not prove that idea in the text. Guibert was one of the French army's reformers after the Seven Years' War, but he wasn't the greatest of them. His Essai is important, but his work does not surpass his contemporaries such as Bourcet and Gribeauval, nor de Broglie's work with the development of the division and the tests/maneuvers in Normandy in the 1770s. Guibert deserves his place among the French reformers, but he was not the best of them. The book is important and is needed on Guibert, and I definitely would recommend it. However, it is to my mind a 'second tier' book on the period and as much or more can be gained by having Robert Quimby's The Background of Napoleonic Warfare which puts the work of the reformers in perspective, Guibert among them. |
| John Miller | 10 Nov 2016 4:06 p.m. PST |
Brechtel198: Please forgive me for not getting back to you sooner. I did not expect to be away from the only computer I can use for this amount of time, (I am not very computer knowledgeable). I do have the Quimby book. I appreciate very much your responding to me and as a result am going to buy this book on Guibert. Thanks, John Miller |
| Brechtel198 | 10 Nov 2016 4:13 p.m. PST |
If you can get hold of Howard Rosen's The Systeme Gribeauval, his PHD thesis, I'd highly recommend it. It is available on line but I cannot remember the site. And I can't remember either if I had to pay a nominal fee. Whatever the case, it is a valuable artillery addition to any library and the bibliography is invaluable. Rosen did a lit of archival research for his thesis and it shows in his writing. His comparison of Guibert's and Gribeauval's overall value to the French reform movement is different from Quimby's and Abel's. Highly recommended. |
| John Miller | 10 Nov 2016 5:54 p.m. PST |
Brechtel198: Thank you very much!!! I shall attempt to get my hands on a copy. John Miller |
| Brechtel198 | 11 Nov 2016 4:09 a.m. PST |
John, If you would like an artillery listing, you can contact me at home at Boulart198@yahoo.com. |
| von Winterfeldt | 12 Nov 2016 12:29 a.m. PST |
Guibert could hardly be termed to be the father of La Grande Armée – Bourcet would much better fit for that.
I suppose that this add on to the title serves to sell the book better, otherwise most people would ask -Guibert – who? There is a slim volume out there – indicating the influence of Guibert and Bourcet – the kindle edition is not that expensive
Innovator Or Imitator: Napoleon's Operational Concepts And The Legacies Of Bourcet And Guibert (English Edition) Kindle Edition
In my view Napoléon was much more influenced by Bourcet about his operational art of war.
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| Brechtel198 | 12 Nov 2016 7:24 a.m. PST |
That is correct-Napoleon was heavily influenced by both Bourcet and the Duteil brothers. |
| von Winterfeldt | 14 Nov 2016 1:04 a.m. PST |
link to that topic PDF link originally published as thesis – link |
| John Miller | 15 Nov 2016 7:30 p.m. PST |
Brechtel198: I will take you up on your offer and e-mail you for the artillery listing. Thank you very much!!!
von Winterfeldt: I appreciate the link and PDF to Bourcet. Thank you very much also!!!
And to both of you please accept my apology for taking so long to get back to you. Due to an illness in the family my access to a computer has been very limited this week. Thanks again, John Miller |
| Brechtel198 | 16 Nov 2016 3:46 a.m. PST |
John, No apology is necessary, especially under the special circumstances. I hope that all is well now. Sincerely,
Kevin |
| von Winterfeldt | 16 Nov 2016 4:13 a.m. PST |
@John Miller Please read the thesis first, you can download it, in case you find the topic well covered you can decide to buy the comercial available book or not. So far I am halfway through – heavy reading. |
| John Miller | 17 Nov 2016 4:07 p.m. PST |
von Winterfeldt: I will do as you suggest and I thank you very much!!! John Miller |
returns to Flintloque to paint an Ogre.