Rating: 
Summary: A must for the arm-chair general
Review: For those of you who like minimal reading, but drool over maps, this book is a must. A massive book covering a classic subject, Esposito's Atlas has what the reader wants when needing a quick understanding of Napoleon's miliary exploits. The book itself is no picnic. As heavy as a cannonball, it measures 10 1/2" tall, 1 1/2" thick and 27" long when opened! However, its format (text & map at a single glance) is the best for study and research.Twenty years and 12 campaigns are captured within 169 detailed maps. Some maps cover a time span of hours, others months. To lessen clutter and confusion, not every action described in the text is shown on the corresponding map. The 11-page Biographical Sketches section is revealing, and in the case of some unfortunate commanders, brash and humorous. The Recommended Reading List is 10 pages long with occasional comments on quality. I have two minor complaints: first, it would have been most helpful if French units/commanders names could have been italicized. Being somewhat unfamiliar with European names and locations, I was confused several times when the text reference included French and enemy units and map locations. And second, the blue ink used to show French positions is much less transparent than the red ink of enemy units. Consequently, finding towns and landmark locations is difficult when French positions have overprinted map names. Other than that, I highly recommend this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but NOT the Holy Grail
Review: Having owned the original edition, and having used it extensively over the years, I did reinvest in the new edition. However, I was disappointed that the new edition contained almost all of the originals errors, which were mostly vis-a-vis troop movements and strengths---many during the campaigns of the Revolutionary period and early Empire. Therefore, I will continue to use this as a map source in conjunction with more detail and reliable text histories. Oh, and Elting's "opinions" of books and their value found in the back, they are just that...Elting's opinions. It is a good book, but far, far from the Holy Grail of Napoleonic history.
Rating:
Summary: Indispensible
Review: I can only echo previous reviews here. If you should get only one military atlas on this subject, this is the one. Along with the West Point Atlas of American Wars vols I & II (don't be deceived by the "American" in the title; volume II includes all the campaigns of WWI & WWII, not just the ones the U.S. participated in), this atlas is a must for the serious military historian. As previously stated, reading military history without maps is a frustrating and ultimately worthless enterprise--a downright stupid and rude thing for an author to do (and its done too often!). These maps are "clean" and easy to read--not cluttered with unnecessary junk. Esposito's prose is terse, yet highly undertanding of the essentials of the situation. He has a fluid understanding of the interrelations between the political, strategic, operational and tactical elements of a situation.
Rating:
Summary: An Indispensable Research Tool and A Fascinating Read
Review: I first came in contact with A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars when in the 5th grade. My brother, who graduated from West Point that year and used it as a textbook, gave it to me to read. While not understanding all of the military terms without the aid of a dictionary, I found the book fascinating, and it turned me into a definite admirer of both Napoleon and the Grande Armee. I later used it at West Point myself as by then it had been phased out as a text book. It is the one indispensable book available in English on the Napoleonic Wars, and it is the best operational study available in English. Superior to the much longer Campaigns of Napoleon by David Chandler, Col Elting based his study on largely primary sources and he tells us the story of the campaigns in a lively, witty style that lets you glide through the marching, fighting, and killing that was 23 years of almost constant horror, bloodshed, and high deeds. Strengths and losses are accurate, being a careful study of the best available sources, and the maps reflect the text. There is a good introduction to the book, covering weapons and tactics, and an excellent section at the rear of the book on the Marshals, outstanding general officers of all nations, as well as political figures. The greatest strength of the book, however, is the Recommended Reading List, which is annotated. The best, most reliable books are listed for the period, including much new scholarship which has been written since 1964 when the book was first published. The maps are superb, being meticulously prepared by the staff at West Point, and they are annotated to correct minor errors from the first printing. The format is large, as it was in the original. This is a perfect companion volume to Col Elting's Swords Around A Throne, and his four volume study on the uniforms of the period, Napoleonic Uniforms. Reliable, accurate, and one of the best books in English on the Napoleonic Wars, this book is a neccessary part of any library or collection on the period. If you own only one book on the Napoleonic Wars, this should be it.
Rating:
Summary: An Indispensable Research Tool and A Fascinating Read
Review: I first came in contact with A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars when in the 5th grade. My brother, who graduated from West Point that year and used it as a textbook, gave it to me to read. While not understanding all of the military terms without the aid of a dictionary, I found the book fascinating, and it turned me into a definite admirer of both Napoleon and the Grande Armee. I later used it at West Point myself as by then it had been phased out as a text book. It is the one indispensable book available in English on the Napoleonic Wars, and it is the best operational study available in English. Superior to the much longer Campaigns of Napoleon by David Chandler, Col Elting based his study on largely primary sources and he tells us the story of the campaigns in a lively, witty style that lets you glide through the marching, fighting, and killing that was 23 years of almost constant horror, bloodshed, and high deeds. Strengths and losses are accurate, being a careful study of the best available sources, and the maps reflect the text. There is a good introduction to the book, covering weapons and tactics, and an excellent section at the rear of the book on the Marshals, outstanding general officers of all nations, as well as political figures. The greatest strength of the book, however, is the Recommended Reading List, which is annotated. The best, most reliable books are listed for the period, including much new scholarship which has been written since 1964 when the book was first published. The maps are superb, being meticulously prepared by the staff at West Point, and they are annotated to correct minor errors from the first printing. The format is large, as it was in the original. This is a perfect companion volume to Col Elting's Swords Around A Throne, and his four volume study on the uniforms of the period, Napoleonic Uniforms. Reliable, accurate, and one of the best books in English on the Napoleonic Wars, this book is a neccessary part of any library or collection on the period. If you own only one book on the Napoleonic Wars, this should be it.
Rating:
Summary: A brilliant graphic description of Napoleons Campaigns
Review: I first read a borrowed copy of this book in 1975 (the first printing was done by West Point publishers in the 1960's) and I have been trying to get a copy ever since. It is without doubt the best grahical illustration of Napoleons campaigns ever published and if combined with David Chandlers book on the wars of Napoleon gives a vivid and definatice account of this period of military history.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect for It's Intentions!
Review: I had heard through sources that this was an indispensable book and I purchased it with eager though guarded optimism, considering the price. I was thoroughly pleased with my purchase. The book is huge by any standards and the layout; with lucid, terse text to the left and clear, concise maps to the right; is an historical reader's dream come true. Another feature I loved was the fact that towns and places were referenced in the text with a co-ordinate system that made finding them on the map that much easier. To be sure, the text is not as highly detailed as those of books dedicated to singular battles or campaigns but this book is intended as a quick reference and in this it excells. Having only recently delved into reading about the Napoleonic Wars in depth, I was somewhat overwhelmed by the vast history and the wealth of material available to go along with it. Now I can have a passing knowledge of the greater part of this period and use this book as a "jump-off" point for further reading. If you are new to the Napoleonic Wars or if you are looking for a condensed version of them, this book is definitely for you. I have used it as a supplement when reading magazine articles or other books. The maps are THAT good. Indeed, Peter Hofschroer used some of the maps in his volume on the Battle of Waterloo. You will not go wrong purchasing this book if you need a concise reference for the Wars or if you love good maps. An added bonus is the section on leader biographies which make for very interesting reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Good maps
Review: I like this type of maps. They are simple and easy. I recommend this book
Rating:
Summary: An excellent alternative to standard war narratives.
Review: If you are tired of military history accounts that have you flipping pages back to poorly detailed maps to try to follow the action, this atlas and the authors' American Wars series is the answer. There is a map to each page of text that follows the pertinent campaigns from macro to micro scale, as needed. The text is very insightful and concise. The version I have read is from the 1960s, so I don't know if the graphics have been updated, but the old maps are just fine for the purpose of showing how the campaigns and battles unfolded. A perfect book for the visually oriented person interested in military history and a good compliment for other Napoleonic campaign histories.
Rating:
Summary: Must have book in any Napoleonic library
Review: Probably one of the easiest to read books on Napoleonic campaigns, its also one of the easiest to understand the campaigns as well. Unlike one of the earlier reviewers, I don't think this book is superior to David Chandler's Campaigns of Napoleon which is still the standard work but this book might proves to be a great supplement. John Elting's writing flow very nicely and he says a lot in a limited space. His opinions are always reflective of the true measure of the situation and he make difficult scenes easy. This book must be a standard issue in anyone's Napoleonic library.
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