Napoleons Imperial Guard was arguably the most famous military formation to tread the battlefields of Europe. La Garde Imperial was created on 18 May 1804, and from its origins as a small personal escort, the Guard grew in size and importance throughout the Napoleonic era. Eventually, it became the tactical reserve of the Grande Arme, comprising almost a third of Napoleons field forces. The men of the Imperial Guard were the lite of the First Empire, its officers and men the military aristocracy of post-Revolutionary France.Used only sparingly, the Guard acquired a reputation of invincibility. Such had become its prestige, when the attacks of the Guard were repulsed at Waterloo, they signaled not only the defeat of the French army but also the end of an era.In this magnificent study, unparalleled in depth and scope, the renowned French historian Commandant Henry Lachouque has produced a lavish and sumptuous work. It combines vivid narrative with valuable and unique uniform illustrations, including seventy-four full color plates from the Anne S.K. Brown collection, to make The Anatomy of Glory one of the most important and most sought-after books on military history ever published.

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 less than two thousand men into a virtual army, and became ‘a human fortress which no one but he 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 180 illustrations, including 86 plates in full colour. 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. The critical acclaim that greeted it upon its first publication provides ample testimony to its reputation: ‘This dramatic account of the birth, life and death of the fabulous Imperial Guard tells a stirring story in English for the first time.’-The Saturday Review of Literature. ‘No one but the most presumptuous who wishes to know about the Imperial Guard can afford to ignore this astonishing compilation. The illustrations alone...are reproduced with a clarity, a beauty, and technical perfection which no one can fail to admire.’ Journal of the RUSI. ‘This sumptuous book ... can yield rich rewards to any reader interested in the fabric of leadership. It is a delight to look at and a pleasure to read.’ -The New York Times. `... Not the well-worn history of conquest and defeat, but of the grognards themselves, marching through readable pages.’ -History Today. ‘Anne S. K. Brown has used her knowledge of French history and uniforms to render Lachouque freely and vigorously. Napoleon just happened to be fallible. But the superb apparatus of his fallibility is gorgeously recalled in this volume.’ The Scotsman.