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Rob GriffithRob Griffith
Rob Griffith

Helion Books Update

I just thought I'd let you all know what Napoleonic titles are on their way from Helion in the next few months.


Samuel MacAllister's Awash on Unfriendly Tides (https://www.helion.co.uk/military-history-books/awash-on-unfriendly-tides-the-algeciras-campaign-and-the-daring-escape-from-the-mediterranean-in-1801.php) should be out very soon. The book looks at the campaign and two naval battles of Algeciras in 1801, and also features Sam's stylish artwork.


Volume 2 of The Russian History of the War of 1814 (https://www.helion.co.uk/military-history-books/the-russian-history-of-the-war-of-1814-volume-2-the-war-to-depose-napoleon.php) should be released soon. This is the last of Pete Phillips' Bogdanovich translations, but we will be publishing a new series of his translations of Milyutinโ€™s history of Russia's campaigns in 1799.


Graeme Callister's Napoleon's Conscripts (https://www.helion.co.uk/military-history-books/napoleons-conscripts-conscription-and-the-french-army-1798-1815.php) should be published in September, and is an excellent examination of how conscription functioned under the Empire.


Jim Tildesley's The Untold Story of Nelson's Tactician, looking at the influence of John Clerk's writings on Royal Navy tactics, should also hopefully be out in September, or maybe Octobeโ€ฆ


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Collingwoodโ€™s flag saved

Not as big as the famous Spanish flag flown at Trafalgar, but the flag worn on the bowsprit of HMS Royal Sovereign under Collingwood has been saved for the nation and will soon be on display in Newcastle. https://www.instagram.com/p/DbxK4_pFrr2/

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Careme: the First Celebrity Chef

I have been watching the show on Amazon Prime. It takes place in Paris in 1800 and it is a "biography" of Antonin Carรชme. . . both Talleyrand Fouche play a prominent role and there is an occasional appearance of Napoleon and Josephine.


It is entertaining and since this is an area I have only basic knowledge on, I will not comment on its accuracy.



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From my post of 8th Feb 2025:

Given recent issues around UK celebrity chefs, it was probably best made in French about the original celebrity chef, who cooked for Napoleon and Tsar Alexander. However, looking at internet items about Careme, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie-Antoine_Car%C3%AAme and https://parisfordreamers.com/2024/03/17/the-incredible-life-and-delicious-legacy-of-antonin-careme-the-original-parisian-celebrity-chef/, it seems he was just a chef and the spy bit has been added to embellish the story. Maybe we will see UK follow-ups like 'The Hairy Spies' and 'Two Fat Spies'?

Marengo - what is it with academics?

I put this comment on Zackโ€™s Youtube chaannel too, where he has put up a video of Dr Graeme Callister - just to find the answer really. I noticed the same thing with Kurt Bairdโ€™s PhD on Austrian experiences of military life:

โ€Is there some weird other universe where academics actually bother to read research by non-academics? Terry Crowdy and I have worked on this for nearly 30 years, the results appearing ads an Osprey first and then a full-sized book. What is all this nonsense about Corps systems, Zack?โ€


I then listed several examples of major errors, which are all laid out properly in the works by Terry and myself. The account of the Desaix stage from Dr Callister makes no sense at all. The Austrian plan was based on the expectation that Bonaparte would swallow their fake plan and advance down the Sale road - it is inโ€ฆ

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Dave I do keep hoping Zack calls you for a interview.

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