The First Total War Napoleon's Europe and the Birth of Warfare as We Know It

"Thoughtful and original . . . Bell has mapped what is a virtually new field of inquiry: the culture of war." --Steven L. Kaplan, Goldwin Smith Professor of European History, Cornell University

"A mesmerizing account that illuminates not just the Napoleonic wars but all of modern history... it reads like a novel." --Lynn Hunt, Eugen Weber Professor of Modern European History, UCLA

"A terrific book, fresh, original and compelling. . . a brilliant account of a fundamental historical transformation." --Keith Michael Baker, Stanford University

"David Bell gives a gripping account of the transformation of European war. This is a bold and important book." --Natalie Zemon Davis, University of Toronto

"As wise at it is timely, and as rich in detail as it is grand in scope." --David Armitage, Professor of History, Harvard University

"A page turner . . . Everyone who hates wars . . . should read these pages." --Patrice Higonnet, Harvard University

"[David Bell] is one of the best prose stylists of his generation." --Steven Englund, author of Napoleon, A Political Life

"From the gripping opening paragraphs to the very end, The First Total War is . . . an historical page-turner." --Dror Wahrman, Ruth N. Halls Professor of History, Indiana University