BATTLE OF BORODINO, THE: Napoleon Against Kutuzov (Campaign Chonicles) | 
 enlarge | Author: Alexander Mikaberidze
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Category: Book
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Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 439639
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.3
ISBN: 1844156036
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.27
EAN: 9781844156030
ASIN: 1844156036
Publication Date: November 2007
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Product Description
On 7 September 1812 at Borodino, 75 miles west of Moscow, the armies of the Russian and French empires clashed in one of the climactic battles of the Napoleonic Wars. This horrific - and controversial - contest has fascinated historians ever since. The survival of the Russian army after Borodino was a key factor in Napoleon's eventual defeat and the utter destruction of the French army of 1812. In this thought-provoking new study, Napoleonic historian Alexander Mikaberidze reconsiders the 1812 campaign and retells the terrible story of the Borodino battle as it was seen from the Russian point of view. His original and painstakingly researched investigation of this critical episode in Napoleon's invasion of Russia provides the reader with a fresh perspective on the battle and a broader understanding of the underlying reasons for the eventual Russian triumph. REVIEWS "Alexander Mikaberidze is one of the most important young Napoleonic scholars in the US, and this book is just another reason why that is the case. ... does an outstanding job of telling the story. ... ...will be interesting to scholars and the 'just interested' alike. ... augmented by some outstanding graphics. ... What makes this book especially important, is the incredible breadth of sources used to produce it. ...gives readers at any level everything they could possibly want--and more. It belongs in anyone's Napoleonic library. " J. David Markham ,Historian/Author, www.NapoleonicHistory.com
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 Decent thesis - shame about the presentation February 1, 2008
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
"Around 4pm, the French columns rushed across the rivulet [...] As they approached my positions at pistol range, I opened murderous volleys at them. They and us both held the ground with intrepid gallantry for the next quarter of hour before the enemy was deprived of his victory again. However, the casualties were great and both sides, as if on command, seized the fire and retreated from each other..." (From "The Battle of Borodino: Napoleon Against Kutuzov", page 175, copyright Dr. Alexander Mikaberidze and Pen and Sword Press).
That, I am afraid, is not atypical of the standard of the presentation in this study of the Battle of Borodino, 1812. It's a bit of a shame, since Mikaberidze does a genuine service in including numerous Russian sources in his narrative; previous versions in English have tended to be based very heavily on the French sources. Mikaberidze strives to place events in their correct chronological and topographical context, although he might usefully have pointed out that absolute chronology and accurate cartography played essentially no part in anyone's recollections of the battle. It's unlikely that any two watches (which won't, of course, have been common) on the battlefield told the same time. Men guessed the time from the height of the sun, no doubt, or the level of daylight. Similarly, with many batteries firing until they exhausted their ammunition, wreathing the battlefield in huge clouds of smoke, a participant would have known very little of events even a short distance away. Mikaberidze deserves some praise for his handling of this, even if other authors, covering other engagements, have achieved rather more professional results, in the face of similar disadvantages. (Comparisons are odorous, though, so I do not propose to name names.) With regard to Borodino, for now, Mikaberidze's work probably is the best available for the general reader. The main weakness in this book, beyond a few failures in the general editing (overseen by Christopher Summerville, also an author of books on Napoleonic themes), lies in the translations. I understand that they are all by the author, but they are not without flaws, as, perhaps, the example at the top of this review demonstrates. One surprising defect is an occasional failure to take account of the fact that Russian has no definite or indefinite article. Since English has both, a translation from Russian which fails to supply articles is plainly inadequate and almost certainly misleading. The maps are generally good, which is vital for military history. The plates are generous, but, as is often the case, probably add more to the price than to the reading experience. Their captions also contain several howlers. According to Summerville, such mistakes are to be expected in a "first edition", although whether this book deserves a second one is open to debate.
 A Comprehensive Study of Borodino January 29, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Any book about military history is ultimately only as good as the sources on which it is based, but the use of good sources alone does not guarantee a successful book. A really good history book must, in addition, present its information in a clear and spirited narrative supported by appropriate source citations, critical analysis of sources, clear maps, quality illustrations and a comprehensive bibliography. Alexander Mikaberidze has written such a book about the Battle of Borodino in 1812. This is the first English-language study of the battle that gives equal weight to Russian as well as French primary sources and the author uses them to tell a complex story with great clarity. The book should be owned by anyone interested in Napoleonic military history.
Battle of Borodino, The; Napoleon Against Kutuzov December 18, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Battle of Borodino; Napoleon Against Kutuzov by Alexander Mikaberidze is one of the best books on the Napoleonic Wars that I have ever read...and I have over 500 Napoleonic books in my personal library. Mr. Mikaberidze does an excellent job of presenting the different viewpoints, observations, and analysis of French, German, and Russian participants, their biographers and the period as well as modern historians. In many cases where there is controversy he simply provides all the details and allows the reader to draw their own conclusions. The battle description is very detailed with info never before available in English. The OOBs are extremely thorough and invaluable for Wargaming purposes. Reading this book you get a "feel" for the bloody conflict and how close it came to being a defeat for Napoleon. This book ranks only slightly behind Chandler's "Campaign's of Napoleon" and Elting's "Swords Around the Throne".
Detailed history of Borodino December 15, 2007
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I mainly study early 20th Century European history and specifically WWII but Napoleon's invasion of Russia, and the Napoleonic period as a whole, have always intrigued me. Never could I fully comprehend how men could so easily risk their lives in reckless charges against "squares" of infantry bristling with bayonets! Wondering about it all finally forced me to dive into this period and while my readings of it have been quite limited (perhaps a dozen or so books to date) this is one of the more interesting and certainly detailed works out there today that I have encountered.
The author, as a reviewer has already noted, is fluent in Russian, Georgian, English, French, and possibly even German (his list of sources tell the entire story). I find his appreciation for detail to be inspiring. Here we have an author who looks at a dozen authors and historians who have come before him and analyzes and presents all their points of view in regards to events during this battle, be they contradictory or complementary, and lets the reader decide what to believe. That is something to aspire to. From time to time he will also make his own conclusions known. More so, he simply gives you the information, which if you are interested in, you can easily know where to look and who to consult, something that I rarely find in current historical literature. A few myths are explained and put to rest and I found the narrative interesting enough to keep me wanting to read more especially since here we have both sides of the battle being presented. There were a few grammar mistakes and missing words but that is easily overlooked. I commend the author for his efforts and I'm more than sure that this will be the standard history of the Battle of Borodino for years to come.
Brilliant New Perspective on Borodino November 9, 2007
11 out of 12 found this review helpful
Alexander Mikaberidze is one of the most important young Napoleonic scholars in the US, and this book is just another reason why that is the case. There have been a number of studies in English of the Battle of Borodino, fought between Napoleon's Grande Armee and a Russian army led by General Kutuzov. That battle, fought on 7 September 1812 about 75 miles west of Moscow, captures the imagination regardless of which side you would have been on. Both the French and the Russians consider it a victory, and each side can make a decent argument (though to be technical, it was a French victory).
Mikaberidze does an outstanding job of telling the story. A native of the Republic of Georgia and holding a PhD from the storied Institute on Napoleon and the French Revolution at the Florida State University, Mikaberidze brings a writing style that reflects not only excellent English but fluency in several other languages (at the very least, French, Georgian and, most importantly here, Russian). He writes in a way that will be interesting to scholars and the 'just interested' alike. His writing is augmented by some outstanding graphics. And he tells the story not just from the somewhat more traditional French perspective, but also from the Russian perspective. From my experience at two international conferences held at the battlefield, I can assure you that the Russians have a very different perspective on things than the French! :-)
What makes this book especially important, however, is the incredible breadth of sources used to produce it. Whether you are a scholar wanting verification of any new information or idea, or a general reader who rarely checks the references, you want a book to be based on outstanding research. Well, as my Australian friends would say, 'no worries here, mate.' Mikaberidze's list of sources is amazing. I counted 71 primary Russian sources and probably twice that many Russian secondary sources. These are not English translations, but rather the originals, often from Russian archival sources, and in many cases never used by western scholars until now. Mikaberidze uses an equally impressive set of English, French, German and Polish sources.
Again, the reader of this review should not be put off by my discussion of the sources. One can read this book without looking at a single footnote and still learn a great deal about this battle, including the leadup and aftermath. This book gives readers at any level everything they could possibly want--and more. It belongs in anyone's Napoleonic library.
J. David Markham
Historian/Author
www.NapoleonicHistory.com
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