Book Description

Napoleon's Egyptian adventure by an Egyptian historian It is a fascinating and compelling aspect of the character of Napoleon Bonaparte that as his star accelerated towards its zenith, his imagination and ambition for his own potential and those of the French revolutionary spirit he represented knew almost no limits. He saw the dominance of Europe and the Mediterranean region as but a gateway into the world at large with a limitless resource of lands, assets, trade and political influence not only for the taking but within the scope of his abilities to win. This found a French expeditionary force on the shores of Egypt, embarked upon what many regarded then and since as a romance, an adventure -an invasion with no real purpose, no logical place to go and no objective to achieve. An army determined to make its way by traditional force was accompanied by 'savants' concerned with expansion of knowledge and culture. It was a heady mixture and almost certainly doomed to disaster. Nelson, a British army, domestic discord and the truculent native population of a harsh oriental land far from home, hurried failure on its way. For the military historian the subject is entirely compelling. What makes this concise book interesting is that the era is considered here by an Egyptian historian who presents unique perspectives which will flesh out accounts by the French invaders or indeed those by modern historians from the West. This book originally brought the status of the Egyptian people up to date at the time the author wrote the his work, but since that was at the close of the nineteenth century and the sands of the middle east have shifted considerably since, the Leonaur editors have excised that element of the piece and this book is now confined to a single subject-that of a Napoleonic period history. Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.