Exploits of Brigadier Gerard

by Arthur Conan Doyle

Overview

Much to his own disappointment, it was Conan Doyle's creation of the great detective Sherlock Holmes, rather than the historical fiction which he valued more highly, which secured his lasting fame. Among the works which he considered most unjustly neglected were the exploits of Brigadier Gerard, a swashbuckling hero who accompanies Napoleon in all his campaigns, witnessing both his rise and his fall from Marengo to Waterloo. Arguably Doyle's finest work, the Gerard stories collected here have the master's page-turning quality, but are soundly based on the author's profound knowledge of the history behind his fiction. The stories follow the boastful, vainglorious but endearing Etienne Gerard from his enlistment in the Hussars around 1799. By 1810 our hero has risen to a Colonel's rank, having served in Italy, the Peninsular War, Germany, and Russia. His career climaxes when he is promoted to Brigadier, decorated by the Emperor with the Legion of Honour and witnesses Napoleon's final debacle at Waterloo. Originally published in the popular Strand magazine, Doyle's favourite outlet, these are the complete stories of the outrageous Frenchman which will appeal to Napoleonic buffs, Sherlock Holmes fans and Doyle enthusiasts alike.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781783310388
Publisher:	Naval & Military Press
Publication date:	03/12/2014
Pages:	390
Product dimensions:	5.06(w) x 7.81(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

The life of Arthur Conan Doyle illustrates the excitement and diversity of the Victorian age unlike that of any other single figure of the period. At different points in his life he was a surgeon on a whaling ship; a GP; an apprentice eye-surgeon; an unsuccessful parliamentary candidate (twice); a multi-talented sportsman; one of the inventors of cross-country skiing in Switzerland; a formidable public speaker; a campaigner against miscarriages of justice; a military strategist; a writer in a range of forms; and the head of an extraordinary family. In his autobiography, he wrote: 'I have had a life which, for variety and romance, could, I think, hardly be exceeded.' He was not wrong. But Conan Doyle was also a Victorian with a twist, a man of tensions and contradictions. He was fascinated by travel, exploration, and invention, indeed all things modern and technological; yet at the same time he was also very traditional, voicing support for values such as chivalry, duty, constancy, and honour. By the time of his death in July 1930 he was a celebrity, achieving worldwide fame and notoriety for his creation of the rationalist, scientific super-detective Sherlock Holmes; yet at the same time his later decades were taken up with his advocacy of the new religion of Spiritualism, in which he was a devoted believer.

Date of Birth:

May 22, 1859

Date of Death:

July 7, 1930

Place of Birth:

Edinburgh, Scotland

Place of Death:

Crowborough, Sussex, England

Education:

Edinburgh University, B.M., 1881; M.D., 1885

Editorial Reviews

Conan Doyle is another one of those guys who wrote a ton of stuff but who is remembered now only for his Holmes/Watson mysteries. The 17 stories collected here follow the title character, a swaggering soldier in Napoleon's army famous for his bravery on the field of battle and his romantic forays with women. If historical adventure circulates in your library, throw this into the mix. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

A collection of 17 works of the great storyteller reprinted from the 1908 McClure Co. edition. These horror stories manifest the skill and ingenuity of the Holmes canon. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews