About the Author
Tom Reiss (born May 5, 1964) is an American author, historian, and journalist. He grew up in New York City and graduated from Harvard University in 1987. Reiss is the author of three nonfiction books, the latest of which is The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte show more Cristo (2012), which received the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography. His previous books are Führer-Ex: Memoirs of a Former Neo-Nazi (1996), the first inside exposé of the European neo-Nazi movement; and The Orientalist: Solving the Mystery of a Strange and Dangerous Life (2005), which became an international bestseller. As a journalist, Reiss has written for The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Works by Tom Reiss
The Black Count: Napoleon's Rival and the Real Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas (2012) — Author — 1,737 copies, 111 reviews
Associated Works
Blood and Oil in the Orient (1929) — Editor, some editions; Afterword, some editions — 29 copies, 2 reviews
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Reiss, Tom
- Birthdate
- 1964-05-05
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- New York, New York, USA
- Places of residence
- New York, New York, USA
Texas, USA
Massachusetts, USA - Education
- Harvard College
University of Houston - Occupations
- author
journalist
Historian
hospital orderly
bartender
entrepreneur (show all 9)
teacher
actor
rock band - Awards and honors
- Samuel Johnson Prize (shortlisted, 2006)
Members
Discussions
Bio group read, 3rd quarter: The Black Count - Book Discussion in 2015 Category Challenge (September 2015)
Biography Group read, 3rd quarter: The Black Count by Tom Reiss - General thread, no spoilers in 2015 Category Challenge (August 2015)
Reviews
Lists
THE WAR ROOM (1)
Revolutions (1)
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 6
- Also by
- 2
- Members
- 2,796
- Popularity
- #9,199
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 134
- ISBNs
- 63
- Languages
- 14
I enjoyed this book a great deal, however I am always sensitive to the treatment of the French Revolution in histories that do not focus on it. In particular, I find it interesting how the Terror is often treated as an atrocity unprecedented in history, somehow vastly more shocking than anything ever perpetrated by a monarch or emperor during the same period. This asymmetry is glimpsed in ‘The Black Count’ as Reiss recounts the pressure put on commanders in the French army during the 1793-4 wars. They were at risk of being deposed, even lynched, by their soldiers. The paranoia caused by conflict on so many fronts undoubtedly made the effective organisational functioning of the army difficult. For one thing, it had transformed completely in a few short years. However, why is the risk of soldiers attacking their commander so much more serious than the prior of centuries of commanders buying their ranks then abusing their soldiers with impunity? I appreciated that Reiss showed the viciousness of reactionary micro-kingdoms in Italy as a contrast to France. He also demonstrates the gradual loss of freedoms gained under the revolution, as Napoleon consolidated his power and rewrote the law.
In the late 18th century Dumas fought with spectacular success in an amazing variety of places, from the peaks of the Alps to the sands of the Sahara. I know much less about the Directory and early Napoleonic period than that of the revolution, so found the account of Napoleon’s rather futile invasion of Egypt particularly interesting. It seems like a bizarre choice now; an invasion of Britain was the most obvious option at the time. Reiss recounts such military exploits by drawing on a pleasing array of primary evidence, including copious letters. I smiled at his comparison between the constant letters between army commanders in the field and the eternal circulation of emails in an office. The minutiae of resource management may not have been so very different. Reiss does not mythologise his subject, nor treat him as an unalloyed hero. He certainly killed a lot of people in battle, although he also exhibited a strong sense of justice and lack of venality. He was undoubtedly highly skilled at war and much liked by his peers (except Napoleon) and subordinates. His son absolutely idolised him and, Reiss suggests sought to memorialise him through fiction. As history is so frequently white-washed, I hadn’t come across him before hearing about this book. Apparently there was a statue of him in Paris, until the Nazis melted it down during the occupation. 'The Black Count' reads well with [b:The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution|775985|The Black Jacobins Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution|C.L.R. James|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348230897l/775985._SY75_.jpg|826133], which recounts in much greater detail how France turned from abolishing slavery to trying and failing to brutally suppress the Haitian Revolution.… (more)