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SPENCER,CHARLES: : BLENHEIM - BATTLE FOR EUROPE.[Author SIGNED copy.]

LONDON.WEIDENFELD & NICOLSON,2004.

ISBN 0297846094.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,SIGNED,1st edn.FINE/FINE. No owner inscrptn,but author's neat,black ink signature - without dedication - to title-page,no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright, crisp,clean,colour pictorial illustrated dw/dj,with negligible shelf-wear and creases to edge and corners - no nicks or tears present.Top+fore-edges bright and clean;contents bright,tight and near pristine - no dog-ear creases to any pages' corners - possibly an unread copy? Sharp-cornered,bright,clean,maroon paper-covered bds with bright,crisp,stamped gilt letters to spine/backstrip,red+yellow headband and immaculate,pale cream eps. 8vo,5-365pp [paginated] includes acknowlegements,contents list/table,maps list/table (3 double-page b/w maps - Louis's Europe,1704,battle plans for storming of the Schellenberg + Battle of Blenheim),preface,prologue,Pts 1-5 comprising 24 chapters,16pp contemporary b/w+colour illus/plates/portraits etc.,in 1 block,between pp96/7,sources,appendices(3),biblio and an index,plus [unpaginated] half-title page,author SIGNED title-page, dedication,and 2pp blanks at rear. 'Plunder,murder,destroy - and if it be possible to commit yet greater cruelties, be not negligent . . . ' ordered one of Louis XIV's generals.Another boasted of atrocities his soldiers committed against Dutch civilians:'We lit the town and grilled all the Hollanders in it.' Louis XIV had created the largest army Europe had seen since Roman times,and he encouraged his marshals to fight with similar ruthlessness.For forty years it was unstoppable:no army and no coalition was able to stand against the Sun King's soldiers. In August 1704,Louis hosted one of his typically lavish parties at Versailles, celebrating the crowning triumph of his armies.But before the fireworks could be lit came unbelievable news:the French and their allies had not only been defeated, but utterly overthrown.A whole army had vanished and its great commander found himself a prisoner of the English. The Battle of Blenheim changed the course of history.Louis's hitherto invincible army was destroyed in a day,never to recover.And the British were apower in Europe for the first time since Henry V destroyed the French at Agincourt.British soldiers made up only a fifth of the victorious allied army at Blenheim,but their contribution was decisive.They shrugged off their reputation for idle incompetence and showed uncommon ability and bravery.In the wake of Blenheim,the greatest land victory won under an English commander on foreign soil since 1415,the British took their first faltering steps towards Empire. Charles Spencer reveals how John Churchill,Duke of Marlborough and his friend and ally Prince Eugene of Savoy brought about this incredible victory despite crushing personal and political pressures. Marlborough's son had died in his arms; his beloved wife was on the verge of madness,and the parliamentary opposition plotted his impeachment.His friends and allies urged caution,but Marlborough gambled everything on a single day of battle. In his remarkable debut as a popular historian,Charles Spencer brings out the flesh-and-blood characters behind the stilted portraits of the era.From Louis XIV's grisly experience at the hands of his dentists to the violent fury of the battlefield,this is an enthralling story of courage under fire. Charles Spencer is the brother of the late Diana,Princess of Wales,and gained world-wide attention after speaking passionately at the funeral of his sister. Since April,2013,the UK Post Office has increased it's Pricing in Proportion template,altering its weight allowances, dimensions and lowered its compensation rates too! So, please contact seller,because of the weight/value of this item,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,SIGNED,1st edn.
Author's signature - without dedication.

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