After Napoleon's defeat and exile on Elba in 1814; it looked as if his extraordinary military career had come to an end. But then the Emperor escaped and made a last stand; which climaxed on June 18; 1815; when almost 200;000 Prussian; British; and French soldiers clashed at Waterloo. Published to mark the 200th anniversary; The Battle of Waterloo Experience is a compelling new treatment of the Hundred Days campaign; beautifully illustrated and including reproductions of contemporary letters and documents that graphically portray the background to Napoleon’s final overthrow.
#1718670 in Books Rothschild Norman H 2015-06-16Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.30 x 6.40l; 1.50 #File Name: 0231169388384 pagesEmperor Wu Zhao and Her Pantheon of Devis Divinities and Dynastic Mothers
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Xinrui H.great5 of 7 people found the following review helpful. An Interesting ReadBy LauraleeWu Zhao became China’s first and only empress. She rose from obscurity to become the emperor much to the shock of the country. It was evident that she was a political genius because she not only rose to the throne but also had a stable reign. One of the ways that she used her political acumen was through religion. She created a pantheon of female deities; and used them to help legitimize her reign. The author then divides the book into three faiths- Taoism; Confucianism; and Buddhism. In each chapter; he writes about the specific deity and how she uses them to her advantage. While I was hoping to learn more about the life of Wu; I did find this book to be particularly interesting. I liked learning about these female goddesses; and I could see how they personally attracted Wu when she was empress and how she later used them as Emperor. I also liked as Zhao represented herself as these goddesses by having her as model for the goddess in the Buddhist temples. I also like how she also used poetry to help accomplish her goal.Overall; this book was about how Wu used religion to rise to the throne. This book is not really comprehensive; and it for scholars who know more about the history; politics; and religion of the Tang era; and the emperor Wu. Still it was interesting in how the myths of the goddesses helped Wu rise to the throne when the idea of a woman ascending the throne held much opposition. This book only covers a small part of how Wu rose to power and how she stabilized her reign; and it is a small glimpse of the complexities of the religion in the reign. This was great introduction into the three faiths that I really do not know a thing about until I read this. It is obvious that the author loves the Chinese emperor; and that he is fascinated by how she accomplished this daunting task. I think that is one of the reasons why he decided to study her further. However; this book left me wanting to know more about the life of Wu Zhao. This book is for those that have a deep knowledge in religion; history; and politics for I believe this was more for academic scholars and not for the general reader.(Note: I read an ARC copy of this book in courtesy of Netgalley.)1 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy wsflemingdazzling intellectual detective work;written with lucid wit and grace
