Frederick the Great: The Magnificent Enigma

by Robert B. Asprey

Book Overview

A cradle-to-the-grave of one of the most intriguing rulers in history, King Frederick the Great who raised the small kingdom of Prussia to major power status in the turbulent military and political... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0899193528
• ISBN13: 9780899193526
• Release Date: January 1986
• Publisher: Ticknor & Fields
• Length: 715 Pages
• Weight: 2.70 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Excellent Writing and Excellent History

Asprey is one of my favorite historians for his writing style alone. The book moves along, yet leaves nothing out. The descriptions of the battles are written in such a fluid, lucid style that few have achieved. If you want to know every move some particular regiment made in the battle, you won't find that here. This is a general bio of Frederick and not concerned solely with his battles. But Asprey does manage to convey the ebb and flow of the battles through a very direct, almost telegraphic at times, way of writing. A great introduction to all aspects of Fredericks life.

A Magnificent Biography of Frederick the Great

This book may be out of print, but it certainly is not out of style. Mr. Asprey does try to maintian a degree of objectivity throughout the book, but he doesn't always succeed. Nevertheless, this book shines with in depth research of nearly every aspect of the life, politics, loves, and military considerations of Frederick the Great throughout his reign. There is a near 100 page bibliography in the back, replete with sources for further reading. The way the author wove the story of Frederick of Prussia was masterful in holding my attention as well as making me more interested in period politics of the era. What a fascinating era in European development. What a fascinating human being Frederick the Great was. A true humanist philospher king forced to embark upon a war of expansion to ensure his country would be able to dictate it's own course in the near future of Europe (through Germany as he envisioned it) and beyond. A truly cruel and engimatic circumstance to be trapped in as an enlightened human being during the mid 18th century. I cannot say enough good things about this book. I emphatically recommend it to anyone interested in this period of European history. Good coverage of historically significant battles with terrain maps and battle line progression provided as well.

A good book

This book is not overly analytic, but I thought it was good reading. His account of Frederick the Great's 14 great battles (Mollutz, Chotusity, Hohenfriedberg, Soor, Lobositz, Prague, Kolin, Rossbach, Leuthen, Zorndorf, hochkirch, Kunersdorf, Liegnitz, and Torgau)are very well done. This is a fun book to read.

History As A Thriller

Robert Asprey's life of Frederick The Great was a fascinating read. The author's understanding of his subject makes Frederick come to life. One can understand the forces that created the man, his strengths and weaknesses.Asprey also provides a clear view of Europe in Frederick's times. The constant conflicts between its nations is difficult to understand from the perspective of the modern reader. In our times Europe has been at peace for more than 50 years (despite the conflagration in the Balkans) yet in Frederick's time the great nations could not stop warring with each other. Most fascinating in this book, however, is the suspense filled descriptions of Frederick's major battles and the masterful way the king manuevered through the 7 year war. This was very exciting reading. It also provided insights as to how an inferior force can prevail against what appeared to be overwhelming odds.

Brian Wells, Esquire, reviews "Frederick the Great"

This is a sparkling book which reveals much about the life and times of a man about which too little is known in our age. Frederick the Great (King of Prussian 1740-1786) militarily united much of the Protestant northern Germany under one crown--the Prussian crown. He did so while supporting the enlightenment idea of toleration of religious differences, at least in theory, and with the goal of making Prussia a major power in central Europe. Frederick anticipated Napoleon by re-introducing the strategy of the attack to military theory. He laid much of the groundwork for the diplomacy of Bismarck which a hundred years later sould see Frederick's great grand-nephew, William I (reigned 1861-1888) crowned German Emperor in 1871. Frederick was certainly an genius in some areas of his life. However, as this book points out, he inherited a lot of the tools that he would need for success during his reign from his father, King Frederick William I (reigned 1713-1740). For instance, the army that Frederck the Great used so devastatingly in the War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748) and the Seven Years War (1756-1763), had been painstakingly built by his father. Additionally, he inherited a close diplomatic reationship with the British crown from his mother, Sophie Dorothea of Hanover. Sophia Dorothea was the daughter of George I and brother of George II of England. Assured of English neutrality Frederick could have a free hand to deal with Austria during the Seven Years War of 1756-1763. Asprey writes in a way that is entertaining and still relates a good deal on information to the reader. Because of this, his work on Frederick the Great is a welcome addition to anyone's library.