The Life of the Real 'Brigadier Gerard' THE YOUNG HUSSAR Volume 1 The life and times of one of Napoleon's most dashing horsemen Marbot has left those interested in the Napoleonic Wars an incomparable and highly readable account of the life and campaigns of a French cavalryman which spans his career from enlistment as a young Hussar to senior officer at Waterloo. Conan-Doyle based his famous Brigadier Gerard on Marbot and that fictional cavalryman's character shines through on these pages. Marbot's expansive recollections begin here as a young Hussar with a 'painted' moustache and sweeps the reader through the very pages of history; encounters with Napoleon and graphically related battlefield experiences - engagingly told by a soldier with a 'good stock of courage' - if he says so himself.
#3038646 in Books Equinox Publishing 2014-08-16 2009-05-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.21 x .43 x 6.14l; .80 #File Name: 1845531833224 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Hard to recommendBy AveryI own several Japanese books by Jun’ichi Isomae; but I find this English translation difficult to recommend. The reason is kind of uncomfortable to describe. It’s not that the information is outright wrong; or that it’s incomprehensible. Instead; and rather unfortunately for a book by a thinker whose methodological seriousness is apparent from his non-Kiki writings; the methodology here is insufficiently rigorous.The very title; “Japanese Mythologyâ€; marks the beginning of the problem. Isomae is very assertive that he considers the early emperors of Japan legendary. Are they; then; part of the mythology? In what way are they mythological? The term “myth†did not exist in English until 1800 and Japanese until 1900.Although he devotes an entire chapter to unravelling the ideological interpretations of postwar thinkers; Isomae still fails to question many of the historical conclusions reached by modern interpreters. The story he is telling is one that can be read in many (Japanese-language) academic publications — and it is remarkably boring in its lack of critical thought.Some examples: Kume Kunitake was suppressed by conservatives? But Shirayama YoshitarÅ has recently put forward that he was not suppressed by conservatives; but by other rationalists. Isomae does not touch on this. Tsuda SÅkichi’s obsession with the idea of imperial myth remains relevant today? But many historians have been moving past Tsuda. Isomae is completely silent about recent discussions of Tsuda; and simply puts him on a pedestal as if he discovered the final truth.There is a lot of good information here; but I cannot recommend this as a textbook on the subject; nor as an introduction to new readers on the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki. It would in fact be better to read more ideological works as long as you are aware of the ideology.Some notes on the English edition: (1) The translation is sufficient but not praiseworthy. (2) The cover of the book picks up stains very easily. I advise putting some sort of dust jacket over the cover.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Anthropology StudentI like the book. It had more insight than most other books on Japanese Mythology.
