Synopses & Reviews
Based on the radical revaluation of Napoleonic thinking published in France by Editions Champ Libre in 1973, this new translation -- the first in nearly a century -- makes possible for the English-speaking world the first critical reassessment of Napoleon's own reflections on the art of war since their original appearance in English in 1831. Significantly more comprehensive than any previous English-language edition of the "military maxims" of Napoleon, but more importantly, while adhering to a military principle of classification, this edition fundamentally reorders Napoleonic texts to bring an active practice of reading to what has previously been passively received as timeless wisdom, or buried among the trivia of obsolete tactical considerations. This volume incorporate the French editor's original statement and brief notes as well as a lengthy afterword by the translator, situating the thought of Napoleon in the context of "postmodern" war and its continuation as politics.
Synopsis
Literary Nonfiction. NAPOLEON: HOW TO MAKE WAR lists the general's 111 maxims for combat, divided into the categories General Principles, Offensive and Defensive. Translated by Keith Sanborn from the 1973 French collection "Comment faire la guerre" by Yann Cloarec. Also contains an essay by Sanborn on the intersection of Napoleon, DeBord and Paul Virillo entitled "Postcards from the Berezina."