Alistair Horne byl anglický novinář, autor biografií a historik se zvláštním zaměřením na Evropu, zejména Francii 19. a 20. století. Jeho díla pokrývají širokou škálu témat, včetně cestování, historie a životopisů, často se ponoří do složitých historických událostí a jejich lidských dopadů. Horne se vyznačoval schopností proplétat detailní historický výzkum s poutavým vyprávěním, což jeho knihám dodává jedinečný styl. Jeho práce nabízí hluboký vhled do klíčových momentů evropských dějin, zkoumá politické a sociální síly, které formovaly kontinent, a často se zaměřuje na konflikty a jejich důsledky.
The battle of Verdun lasted ten months. It was a battle in which at least
700,000 men fell, along a front of fifteen miles. This book shows that Verdun
is a key to understanding the First World War to the minds of those who waged
it, the traditions that bound them and the world that gave them the
opportunity.
In 1940, the German army fought and won an extraordinary battle with France in six weeks of lightning warfare. With the subtlety and compulsion of a novel, Horne�s narrative shifts from minor battlefield incidents to high military and political decisions, stepping far beyond the confines of military history to form a major contribution to our understanding of the crises of the Franco-German rivalry. To Lose a Battle is the third part of the trilogy beginning with The Fall of Paris and continuing with The Price of Glory (already available in Penguin).
A portrayal of the most significant events in 19th-century France. It begins with the military operations from the beginning of the Siege, in September 1870, to the last resistance of the Commune during May Week 1871.
Austerlitz was Napoleon's greatest victory, but it was also the beginning of the end. The success blurred his tactical vision and although there were victories after it, the apogee had been reached and the process has begun which resulted in the 1812 Russian campaign and Waterloo, his last battle.
This volume divides the history of Paris into seven distinct ages, with a foreword taking in Julius Caesar to Philip-Augustus, the great rival of Richard the Lionheart, to an epilogue taking in France since 1968. Historical narrative is interwoven with revealing detail, social and cultural history.
"A useful and charming introduction to a nation that has oh-so-definitely helped make the modern world what it is... Horne does a service in helping the reading navigate the complexities of French history." —Los Angeles Times From the aclaimed British historian and author of Seven Ages of Paris comes a sweeping, grand narrative written with all the verve, erudition, and vividness that are his hallmarks. It recounts the hugely absorbing story of the country that has contributed to the world so much talent, style, and political innovation. Beginning with Julius Caesar’s division of Gaul into three parts, Horne leads us through the ages from Charlemagne to Chirac, touring battlefields from the Hundred Years’ War to Indochina and Algeria, and giving us luminous portraits of the nation’s leaders, philosophers, writers, artists, and composers. This is a captivating, beautifully illustrated, and comprehensive yet concise history of France.