10.5 x 7.5 in.  764 pages.  173 plates, 74 in color. Fold-out map.

The glory of the Imperial Guard resounds above all others in the annals of war. Created, built and nurtured as a bodyguard for Napoleon, it grew from a brigade of fewer than two thousand men into a virtual army, and became 'a human fortress which no one but [Napoleon] could dominate and no enemy could penetrate.' And, on such battlefields as Austerlitz, Jena, Friedland, Wagram and Waterloo, it won the laurels of undying fame.
    Written by France's foremost historian of the Napoleonic Wars, Commandant Henry Lachouque, and translated and adapted by Anne S, K. Brown, this sumptuous work is enhanced by over 170 illustrations, including 74 plates in full color.
    This new printing from the second, revised edition of Lachouque's masterwork will be especially welcomed by students of Napoleonic history. The plates alone are uniquely valuable as a source of uniform colours and style, and the text provides the definitive history of an elite body of men. With its vivid narrative and lavish illustrations, The Anatomy of Glory can lay justifiable claim to be one of the most magnificent books on military history ever published.

From the introduction by Colonel John Elting:

'This book is the story of the Imperial Guard and of many guardsmen, from recruit to marshal. Lachouque wrote of it with intellect and passion, deftly blending regimental housekeeping with marches and battle into a tale of higher adventure and start destiny. You cannot find a better history, nor will any reader for years to come.'

From David Chandler's introduction to the previous edition:

'For the student of the Napoleonic period, the publication in 1961 of The Anatomy of Glory was an event of no little significance. Translated and adapted by Anne S. K. Brown from Commandant Henry Lachouque's masterpiece Napoleon et la Garde Imperiale, it represented a considerable breakthrough in terms of both scholarship and presentation ... the Guard was not an exclusive formation of 'Immortals', but rather became a forcing-house for military talent to benefit the French army as a whole. Above all, it was its close association with the Emperor, whose fortunes it shared in good times and in bad, that lends the story of the Imperial Guard its particular and lasting appeal and interest. This book is in every way a fitting memorial to that unique relationship, and to a superb military formation.'

Reviews of the first edition:

'This dramatic account of the birth, life and death of the fabulous Imperial Guard tells a stirring story in English for the first time.'

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