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There are literally thousands of books about the Peninsular War and countless more covering the greater Napoleonic period, especially Waterloo. As the series progresses we’ll look at different titles. The publishers listed here are those who printed the copy I read!
Let’s make a start...
To really get your teeth into the subject, here are three famous serial works:
A History of the Peninsular War Sir Charles Oman Greenhill
History of the War in the Peninsula William Napier Constable
A History of the British Army (vols 4-10) Sir John Fortescue Cassell
All are fascinating, offering different styles and interpretations – my own favourite is OmanFor a general, enjoyable one-volume read, try the following:
Wellington, the Years of the Sword Elizabeth Longford Panther
The Peninsular War Michael Glover Penguin
Wellington in the Peninsula Jac Weller Greenhill
The Peninsular War Charles Esdaile Allen Lane
Wellington at War in the Peninsula Ian C Robertson Leo Cooper
The Years of Victory Arthur Bryant Collins
More specific to the story of the campaigns:
Life of Sir John Moore Roger Day Pen & Sword
March of Death Christopher Summerville Greenhill
Corunna Philip Haythornthwaite Osprey
Talavera, Wellington's First Victory Andrew W Field Pen & Sword
Wellington Against Massena David Buttery Pen & Sword
The Lines of Torres Vedras John Grehan Spellmount
Albuera Peter Edwards Crowood
The Battle of Albuera Oliver & Partridge Pen & Sword
In Hell Before Daylight (Badajoz) Ian Fletcher Chambers Green
Salamanca 1812 Rory Muir Yale
There are a lot of titles dealing with more detailed aspects of the war, or with the way of life of those involved. Some of those I have found interesting for the first three volumes are:
Intelligence Officer in the Peninsula Julia Page Spellmount
An Engineer Officer Under Wellington * Lt Rice Jones Ken Trotman
Wellington’s Army Michael Glover David & Charles
Peninsular War Almanac Philip Haythornthwaite Brassey
Men of Steel Michael Crumplin Quiller
Wellington’s Army Sir Charles Oman Greenhill
Inside Wellington's Peninsular Army Burnham etc Pen & Sword
Napoleon's Army HCB Rogers Pen & Sword
Redcoats Against Napoleon Carole Divall Pen & Sword
The Man Who Broke Napoleon's Codes Mark Urban Faber
Wellington at War in the Peninsula Ian C Robertson Leo Cooper
Wellington's Regiments Ian Fletcher Spellmount
Wellington's Headquarters SGP Ward Oxford Univ.
The Dickson Manuscripts Alexander Dickson Ken Trotman
Journal of the Sieges Sir John Jones British Library
British Sieges of the Pen. War Frederick Myatt Spellmont
*There are, of course, countless diaries and recollections published by those who were there (or claim to have been!). Many are in print and usually offer up valuable insights into these fascinating few years.For research on the web, here are a couple of good general sites which will lead you on to more detailed studies if you wish...
www.peninsular-resource.com
www.peninsularwar.com
www.napoleon-series.org