Joachim Murat: Napoleon's Great Commander of Cavalry Hardcover – August 24, 2012

As several of the other views mentioned this is a flawed book. But the paperback is cheap.It however does have the wrong table of contents as discussed before.The book was written in 1911 but still the anecdotes are great.If you want information on Joachim Murat this is a good book.

Dreadful book which I will promptly return to Amazon. Where to start? Incredibly, the table of contents belongs to a book on Marshal Ney not Murat. Now that is a first, and it has a typo to boot. There is no index which tells you the publisher is both careless and cheap. Most importantly, it is light on Murat's military performance and heavy on his peacocking. All in all, a great disappointment.

Great book about a STRANGE character who had physical courage beyond comprehension but was a very very flawed individual. Murat was someone you wanted on YOUR side for sure! My favorite parts of the book is when the author shows the letters between Murat and Napoleon and how Napoleon would get sooooo frustrated with him and the CRAZY things Murat would write to Napoleon.After Austerlitz he performed one of history's all-time pursuits. The Austrians had a 3 day head start and he caught them in five -- he wasn't sentimental towards his horses and would ride them to death.This is a narcissistic person who MADE HIS OWN UNIFORM -- who does that -- EVER? The French uniforms weren't fancy enough. He would ride at the front of 10,000 horses into the melee. Sometimes even as a Marshal of France he would dismount and fight shoulder to shoulder with the privates and corporals.He married Napoleon's sister -- which Napoleon didn't want.

Atteridge’s wonderful biography of Marshal Ney prompted me to take up another of his biographies, this time of Joachim Murat, Marshal of France and King of Naples. The elegant writing and mastery of detail again shines through the book. Murat is best known as Napoleon’s chief cavalry commander. Like Ney he rose from humble beginnings to win rapid promotion through the ranks of the Grande Armée through his zeal, courage and loyalty. Not the greatest of military minds, it was his immense courage in the heat of battle and his ability to lead men that won him fame and standing. Marriage to Napoleon’s favourite sister, of course, was of help in furthering his career, not least in becoming Napoleon’s appointee as King of Naples.It is clear that Atteridge had significantly less empathy with Murat than he had with Ney; Murat’s vanity, boastfulness and self-serving was, I think, a deterrent for the author. It was only in describing Murat’s final days of trial and execution by firing squad (which Murat faced with customary courage) that Atteridge softens towards his subject. The generosity and love that Murat showed towards his extended family is outlined. We are also told that Murat had a revulsion for killing an enemy face to face and often rode into the thick of battle with his sword safely in its scabbard.This edition of the book contains a startling error at the beginning where the Table of Contents is that from the Ney biography rather than correct one, as has been pointed out by another reviewer. This does not take from the quality of what is a wonderfully written and informative biography.

I knew before I bought the book that the index was wrong but as the main text was about Murat I am happy.

Great read. I bought it for my own interests