FNH Audio presents a reading of Charles Oman's classic military history A History of the Peninsular War. In this first volume, a detailed examination is made of the first years of the war, 1807 to 1809. The campaign is examined from both sides using reference materials from British, French, Spanish, and Portuguese sources. This book covers the invasion of Spain and Napoleon's trickery in luring the Spanish crown into prison. It also features Wellington's first peninsular battle and of course the famous retreat to Corunna and the battle at that place.
This history, written many years after Napier's, draws its information from more first-hand accounts and corrects some of more glaring mistakes and biases of Napier. Although this audiobook is abridged, the only text removed is a number of the non-English sections of the Appendix, namely sections one, two, three, four, and seven. All English text from the appendices is present.
©2012 FNH (P)2012 FNH
Well researched and presented material
If you could find someone to read the book who doesn't butcher the English language. It is cav-al-ry, not cav-ary and pam-plo-na, not pam-ploo-na. The reader continually mis-pronounces words and it is very annoying.
No way. Couldn't tolerate but a hour or so at a time of the reader, it was very painful at times.
Super book, be aware of this reader related to future purchases. Where is Robertson Dean or Michael Kramer when you need them?
This book is thorough and carefully researched.
The narrative is carried forward in a straightforward and lucid manner.
I am puzzled by some of the other listeners' comments. To begin with you can't expect to listen to a book of history without providing yourself with some maps and doing some basic research on the topic. If that's too hard you should be reading Bernard Cornwell. As for the reader, yes, he has an accent, one that I have heard before, but not in a narrator. It's not BBC standard. However I understood all the words and his voice is pleasant to listen to. I found the pronunciation more amusing than annoying.
Listeners should be aware the book was written a hundred years ago and many of the place names are not on current maps, or are differently spelled and sometimes differently pronounced. Also, the author was British and has a British point of view, although I would say he is fair and honest. There is much detailed description of military unit names and numbers present at certain times. It could all have been left out. Curiously, it has the effect of reinforcing the author's credibility. He did his homework.
Battle of Balin and Moore's retreat.
This is probably an excellant book but it doesnt translate well into an audiobook. With the obvious removal of maps the casual listener has very little idea where many of these Spanish towns are located in relation to eachother. And therefore cant fully appreciate the hows and whys of military operations in Spain and Portugal.
Still it is an exhaustive, thourough, enjoyable book.
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