Waterloo is undoubtedly the most famous battle in European History, having been immortalized in art, writing and, more recently, film and music, but debate still rages about what actually happened. The nature of the source material - which spans several languages - hasn't helped, and neither has national pride, the ugly influence of which has distorted many studies (and reviews!) This book, number 15 in Osprey's Campaign series, doesn't provide any new insights or stunning revelations into Waterloo; instead it is arguably the best introduction to the battle currently available.

Waterloo 1815 begins with a skillful introduction that, despite giving very few details on the Napoleonic Wars, manages to convey the importance and magnitude of previous, and forthcoming, events. Wootten does this by concentrating on Napoleon's exile in Elba, portraying the former Emperor's return to the mainland as the lighting of a potent fuse. An excellent summary of the various commanders and armies follows, including a brief, but wholly delicate, analysis of Napoleon's appointments, and their eventual consequences.

Wootten's narrative skips most of the politics and intrigues of the hundred days, moving straight to June 15th, 1815; this is acceptable, as the volume never claims to be about the larger period. The events of the 15th - 19th of June are then narrated in a clear style which can be followed easily by those with no prior military knowledge (thanks partly to a set of charts that shows, rather than explains, what a corps was). Crucially, the integral battles of Quatre Bras, Ligny and Wavre are discussed alongside Waterloo. Full colour maps assist, including some marvelous, and near 3D, double page spreads. The single page conclusion is a little too brief however, but an interesting guide to visiting the battlefield closes the text, before a chronology summarises the battle in thirty-minute intervals.

Waterloo 1815 has copious amounts of illustration, split between black and white art-prints which many people will have seen before and fantastic colour depictions of various troop types. I feel these pictures, which are always drawings and usually fill a whole page, really help round out the book, enabling the reader to imagine a vivid, if somewhat idealised, scene of battle.

This volume is suitable for any age, but younger readers will find it particularly appealing, as the colour material is as compelling as the text. Wootten may have included little information on the modern debates, and quoted few sources, but he has used the standard 96 page Osprey format well, producing an ideal platform for further reading. A quality product.