The War of 1812 in the Age of Napoleon by Jeremy Black « Wig-Wags
The good folks at the University of Oklahoma Press forwarded a review copy of Jeremy Black’s new book, The War of 1812 in the Age of Napoleon. In my usual fashion, I am making an initial post about the book before a full reading.
.
ISBN: 978-0-8061-4078-0
Hardcover
288 pages
6″ x 9″ x 0″
1 B&W Illus., 3 Maps
Published: 2009, Oklahoma University PressJeremy Black (Photo: athens.edu)
The quick perusal reveals several compelling reasons for recommending the book. First, it is written from “an Atlantic vantage point, which accounts for its contribution to the academic coverage of the war as the latter tend to reflect national perspectives, mostly American, but also Canadian.” (Black, xiv) I think this an important point knowing that any serious scholar of military history would seek out the work of historians and indeed primary sources providing insights from a variety of vantage points. Second, it speaks to the impact of the war not only on America but also on Canada. Black speculates on how the history of the United States would have been very different had it expanded into Canada, “not the least because the slave states of the South would have been in a decided minority.” (Black, xii) Third, Black covers the naval operations so crucial to the war’s outcome. Fourth, the books addresses the consequences of the war. Black discusses the war’s “impact on America’s politics, public culture, economy, and territorial expansion” as being even more important than the military results. (Black, xiii) Finally, the book promises to explore the implications of unwanted expeditionary war, a topic with relevancy today.
Professor Black’s new book is Volume 21 in the Campaigns and Commanders Series. Black, a prolific writer, has authored more than seventy (70) books. He is Professor of History at the University of Exeter and a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of America and the West at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia. He has lectured extensively around the world.
The Campaigns and Commanders Series at the University of Oklahoma Press include the following:
Title Volume Author(s) The War of 1812 in the Age of Napoleon 21 By Jeremy Black A Dragon’s Head and a Serpent’s Tail 20 By Kenneth M. Swope With Zeal and with Bayonets Only 19 Matthew H. Spring Once Upon a Time in War 18 Robert E. Humphrey Borrowed Soldiers 17 Mitchell A. Yockelson; The Far Reaches of Empire 16 John Grenier Napoleon’s Enfant Terrible 15 John G. Gallaher Three Days in the Shenandoah 14 Gary Ecelbarger George Thomas 13 Christopher J. Einolf Volunteers on the Veld 12 Stephen M. Miller The Black Hawk War of 1832 10 Patrick J. Jung William Harding Carter and the American Army 9 Ronald G. Machoian Blood in the Argonne 8 Alan D Gaff Blue Water Creek and the First Sioux War, 1854-1856 6 R. Eli Paul The Uncivil War 5 Robert R. Mackey Bayonets in the Wilderness 4 Alan D Gaff Washita 3 Jerome A. Greene Morning Star Dawn 2 Jerome A. Greene Napoleon and Berlin 1 Michael V. Leggiere







