A masterful dual narrative of Napoleon Bonaparte and a tiny microbe that pits the height of human ambition and achievement against the supremacy of nature, from the New York Times bestselling author of Empire of Blue Water

"Gripping... Talty brings international politics and science together in a compelling story of personal hubris and humbling defeat." -- Jack Weatherford, author of the New York Times bestseller Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

In the spring of 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte was at the height of his powers. Forty-five million called him emperor, and he commanded a nation that was the richest, most cultured, and advanced on earth. No army could stand against his impeccably trained, brilliantly led forces, and his continued sweep across Europe seemed inevitable.

Early that year, bolstered by his successes, Napoleon turned his attentions toward Moscow, helming the largest invasion in human history. Surely, Tsar Alexander's outnumbered troops would crumble against this mighty force. But another powerful and ancient enemy awaited Napoleon's men in the Russian steppes. Virulent and swift, this microscopic foe would bring the emperor's progress to a halt. Even as the Russians retreated before him in disarray, Napoleon found his army disappearing, his frantic doctors powerless to explain what had struck down a hundred thousand soldiers.

The Illustrious Dead delves deep into the origins of the pathogen that finally ended the mighty emperor's dreams of world conquest and exposes this "war plague's" hidden role throughout history. A tale of two unstoppable forces meeting on the road to Moscow in an epic clash of killer microbe and peerless army, The Illustrious Dead is a historical whodunit in which a million lives hang in the balance.

• We started tracking this book on December 16, 2011.
• This book was $11.99 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 96 times in the past 4,514 days.
• The current price of this book is $6.99 last checked 15 hours ago.
• This lowest price this book has been offered at in the past 90 days is $5.99.
• This lowest price this book has been offered at in the past year is $4.99.
• The lowest price to date was $1.99 last reached on January 28, 2018.
• This book has been $1.99 one time since we started tracking it.
• The highest price to date was $13.99 last reached on July 11, 2018.
• This book has been $13.99 2 times since we started tracking it.

• Biographies & MemoirsHistoricalMilitary & WarsWorld War I
• Biographies & MemoirsHistoricalMilitary & WarsBranchesArmy

• Publication Date: June 2, 2009
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 338 Pages
• File Size: 11,639 KB