An atlas of the Peninsular War 1808-1814 /

From 1808 to 1814, British troops under the command of Lord Wellington fought armies from Napoleon's France in a series of battles on the European peninsula formed of Spain, Portugal, and a portion of France. Robertson is the writer of three books on Wellington and travel guides for those countries. He's used his knowledge of the military history of the time and of the countries' terrains to produce a book that will appeal to amateur military historians. Seasoned Napoleonic War enthusiasts will probably know most of what is here, although they will enjoy the maps that Robertson and cartographer Martin Brown have created. The topography is in muted pastel colors, and the armies' movements are in bold primaries: a reader can look at either individually without the other interfering, or look at both together. Along with each map, Brown includes a one- to two-page description of the battle and events leading up to it, often along with a picture or diagram. Brown starts the book with a chronology and a heavily illustrated essay giving historical context. For some, these written portions will be at least as interesting as the maps, despite them being in a small font that can make the text difficult to read. The small font serves a good purpose, though, keeping the book at a manageable size. BOTTOM LINE Not intended for scholars, this book is ideal for aficionados of the era's military history. Yale bills it as an atlas, but it has more prose and is far smaller than most atlases. Excellent for at-home reading and recommended for the circulating collection of all public libraries.-Robert Mixner, Bartholomew Cty. P.L., Columbus, IN (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.