tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652852907403338532.post841061970789227243..comments2024-02-10T19:47:41.980+11:00Comments on Monsieur le Rosbif & Johnny Frog: Book review - Legacy of GloryBen Gilmourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09548280904041987733noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652852907403338532.post-79821770701629197412011-09-20T23:39:41.973+10:002011-09-20T23:39:41.973+10:00An interesting review - I think a book like this g...An interesting review - I think a book like this generally has to be judged for what it is and I think you've managed that admirably.Conrad Kinchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15683395740934527502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652852907403338532.post-91523816734707645172011-09-20T20:33:56.580+10:002011-09-20T20:33:56.580+10:00Thanks to both for the reviews. This is an area of...Thanks to both for the reviews. This is an area of great interest to any Spanish person with interest in history. As always happens in emotionally tense periods, the figure of Jose Napoleón has been strongly ridiculed and despised by the local historians, depicting the guy as useless and a heavy drunker (he is popularly better known as "Pepe Botella") , with no interest on the Spanish people. The trith seems very different as he tried to introduce deep social reforms in education and the evonomy. But his situation was unsustainable with his brother looking to make Spain just a protectorate and the fierce opposition of the church controlling a mostly ignorant and impoverished population.Anibal Invictushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00574972963418062956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5652852907403338532.post-89296021051462776302011-09-20T19:56:01.446+10:002011-09-20T19:56:01.446+10:00Your view on Legacy of Glory is very similar to my...Your view on Legacy of Glory is very similar to my own. I also have <em>The Reluctant King</em> by Michael Ross, which is roughly contemporary with Glover's book, though it also covers Joseph's time in Naples and America. I always found these books to be somehow typical of their day. Probably unfairly, I assume that neither author spent a great deal of time in (for example) Spain during their research - Michael Glover's bibliography lists any amount of things like Rifleman Harris and a Life of Colborne, but precious little in the way of non-British stuff. Foy is there (mais naturellement!) and the translations of the Bonaparte brothers' correspondence, but otherwise you could write a book like this in your local public library, without the Internet, as long as they had Oman.<br /><br />What was this? I guess Messrs Glover and Ross were writing that most uncomfortable of mongrels, so-called popular history, but in the 1970s that's all you could expect.<br /><br />This whole area needs a heavy duty revisit from Esdaile, as you say, or Rory Muir or some of the present-day American specialists. Fashions come and go - it seems paradoxical that there should be fashions in writing history, but obviously it is so. In 1970-something us Brits had certain received views on warfare and foreigners, and it is probably harsh to judge this book by present day attitudes - I bought a number of books by Michael Glover at that time - I really felt he was one of our very best Napoleonic historians, and he probably was, but his books, though engaging and a decent general introduction, are partial and a bit bland.<br /><br />It's largely down to Mr Glover and to Jac Weller (and Don Featherstone - let's be honest) that it took me until about 1990 to realise fully that the Spaniards played a significant part in the Peninsular War, rather than just being a bit of a nuisance! <br /><br />Nice job - I enjoy these reviews<br /><br />TonyMSFoyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14470241067504971068noreply@blogger.com