Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Eminent Victorian Soldiers: Seekers of Glory by Byron Farwell ISBN: 0-393-30533-3 Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: 01 July, 1988 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (5 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Essential Introduction
Comment: Eminent Victorian Soldiers is the perfect book for anyone interested in the British Officer class during Queen Victoria's reign. These generals were a quirky bunch, who ranged from coolly competent to tragically confident. The more famous soldiers, like Gordon, are given brief, but complete, biographies. But the real prize is the less famous soldiers, like Wood, are brought to light. This is done in a simple, while at the same time very informative, style. All of the soldiers are shown in their good and bad points, but most of all, they are shown as what they truly were: products of their times.
Rating: 5
Summary: The Victorian Empire Builders
Comment: This compendium biography presents a fine sketch of the eight prominent Victorian generals who commanded during the Little Wars of Queen Victoria. The often respressed and somewhat bizarre characteristics of these men seems typical of the Victorian mind-set. While they were certainly eccentric, these men personified the times they lived in and in their actions pursued the notion of the White Man's burden to civilize the dark regions of the world.
In the politcially correct times that we live in today perhaps some of these notions will appear offensive, but in order to appreciate these man we must understand the times they lived in and try not to impose our own values upon them. Indeed, many Victorians would find our social values today strange to comprehend as well. Byron Farwell specializes in the Victorian military experience and his writtings on this topic are always witty and informative.
The reader may find it surprising that homosexuality was present in several of these gentlemen, namely Charles Gordon and Hector Macdonald. Again, we can attribute this to the oddities of the age which repressed such feelings on the surface, thereby encouraging their lurkings behind the scenes. It is doubtful that any of them would have preferred to advertise their inclinations as seems to be the norm today. Homosexuality was more discreet then, and perhaps that was a good thing in a way.
The military life that these men pursued perhaps inclined them toward a different lifestyle as the compnay of women was often infrequent in far outposts.
The talents of these generals certainly expanded the British Empire and made it one of the great epochs of its day. Farwell has provided a worthy addition to Lytton Strachey's earlier work, "Eminent Victorians". The reader will find all sorts of interesting and amusing aspects of these Eminent Victorian Generals.
Rating: 4
Summary: Non-technical and readable
Comment: No footnotes, and all based on secondary research, but this book I found fun to read. The accounts of the 8 generals profiled are consistently interesting and this book makes for good light reading
 |
Title: Queen Victoria's Little Wars by Byron Farwell ISBN: 0393302350 Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: 01 July, 1985 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
 |
Title: Mr. Kipling's Army by Byron Farwell ISBN: 0393304442 Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: 01 August, 1987 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
 |
Title: The Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Land Warfare: An Illustrated World View by Byron Farwell ISBN: 0393047709 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: September, 2001 List Price(USD): $75.00 |
 |
Title: Gurkhas by Byron Farwell ISBN: 039330714X Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: 01 November, 1990 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
 |
Title: Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea by ROBERT K. MASSIE ISBN: 0679456716 Publisher: Random House Pub. Date: 28 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
