Reading on Frederick the Great

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HistoryLover1
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Joined: 23 Oct 2014, 11:37

Reading on Frederick the Great

#1

Post by HistoryLover1 » 04 Nov 2014, 12:35

I downloaded Frederick the Great by Sir David Fraser yesterday on my Kindle for free off of Amazon. It’s a biography which gives a really good overview of Frederick as a military leader, his successes and failures. The books been really well reviewed (Evening Standard, Mail on Sunday, Sunday Telegraph etc) which is what attracted me to it. I don’t usually read biography or memoirs, preferring military fiction. But this has got really interesting historical detail with regards to his campaigns, so definitely ticked that box for me. I would be interested to know what others think! Does anyone else know of any books on Frederick the Great? Fraser’s book has really wetted my appetite. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Frederick-Great ... +endeavour

J. Duncan
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Re: Reading on Frederick the Great

#2

Post by J. Duncan » 21 Nov 2014, 10:19

The most exhaustive biography of Frederick is the 10 volume work by Thomas Carlyle...massive in scope and written in hard to follow purple prose of 19th century England. Almost every author has used this book as a source because of it's enormous detail. Carlyle seems to have found every letter, every scrap of evidence, every correspondence and viewpoint by friend and enemy alike. Carlyle did much detective work in tracing his forbears and chronicling his life. It is one of the most detailed studies of an individual ever written. Carlyle tried to do with Frederick the Great what Gibbon did with the "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'.

There are many books on the Prussian King that are good.
Frederick's Letters to and from Voltaire are really good and show his overall views on many subjects.
There are biographies by F. V. P. Veale and Pierre Gaxotte which are good.
My personal favorite is an obscure book by Nathan Ausubel titled "Superman: The Life of Frederick the Great".
The most fascinating story which weaves in and out of Frederick's life is his troubled relations with his "Soldier-King" father Frederick William. The ultra masculine, obese, hard drinking, hard living, crude, violent, raging, thrifty and thunderous monarch had produced a highly sensitive son who liked French ways, music, gambling, effete prose, and who later became one of the greatest military commanders in European history. There is much evidence to show he may have been homosexual. Nevertheless, his is an amazing story in the power of will, character, and personality.


Felix C
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Re: Reading on Frederick the Great

#3

Post by Felix C » 13 Jul 2015, 21:19

I read this as a youngster: Frederick The Great On The Art Of War Jay Luvaas editor
http://www.amazon.com/Frederick-The-Gre ... 0306809087

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Sheldrake
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Re: Reading on Frederick the Great

#4

Post by Sheldrake » 14 Jul 2015, 02:15

Christopher Duffy's Biography of Frederick the Great was well regarded when it was published.

His instructions to his Generals are available on line
http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/rea ... ctions.htm

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