An essential book for understanding the complex national attitudes to the commemoration of Waterloo. * Chris May, Battlefield *
A brilliant, even-handed short study * David Horspool, Books of the Year 2015, Guardian *
A strikingly original analysis of responses to Waterloo and the memory of it. * History Today, Gary Sheffield *
A fascinating read * The Good Book Guide *
Lucid, measured and fascinating. * BBC History magazine, Tim Clayton *
Alan Forrest offers a good discussion of the events leading up to the battle, and its subsequent ripples. * Victor Davis Hanson, Times Literary Supplement *
Original, interesting and elegant To fail to read Waterloo would be quite unthinkable. * British Journal of Military History, Charles Esdaile *
An excellent book * Literary Review, Saul David *

Alan Forrest is Emeritus Professor of Modern History at the University of York. He has published widely on French Revolutionary and Napoleonic history in France and Europe, on the history of armies and war, and on the cultural history of modern France, most recently a biography of Napoleon (2011).