NAPOLEON 1812 by Nicolson, Nigel

New York 1985, Harper & Row, hard bound US edition in dust, BOMC edition, VG/VG cond, 6x9, viii, 192 pp, illus & 8 maps. . --------------------------------------------Napoleon's invasion of Russia is one of the most dramatic events in history. It occupied only six months, June to December 1812, and during that period nearly half a million men died. At the start Napoleon was at the height of his power. At the end he faced the destruction of his empire. He had lost the greatest campaign he ever attempted and the largest army he ever commanded. Why did he invade Russia? Why, in spite of his early successes and the capture of Moscow, did he fail?He described the battle of Borodino as the most terrible he ever fought. The burning of Moscow was as great a disaster for him as for the Russians. Then began the famous retreat, and the destruction of the army by a combination of cold, starvation, exhaustion, Cossacks and partisans. Only a handful escaped over the Beresina.-------------------------------------------------Nigel Nicolson, who visited Russia especially for this book, has drawn on the documents and memoirs of participants on both sides. He writes that his purpose is to "examine the story afresh, consider why one of the greatest commanders in history failed and one of its least gifted succeeded, how Tolstoy misinterpreted the drama, and how Hitler, 130 years later, failed to benefit from Napoleon's example . . . when he too attempted to conquer the unconquerable. And to arouse speculation, admiration and sympathy, together with despair at the folly and wastage of it all.