Library Journal’s Review of My Book


Library Journal published the very first review of my book in mid October. Unfortunately they don’t post all their reviews online. You can read the full text here or in the attached PDF file 110530434

Bellinger, Vanya Eftimova. Marie von Clausewitz: The Woman Behind the Making of On WarOxford Univ. Nov. 2015. 304p. illus. notes. bibliog. ISBN 9780190225438. $29.95ebk. ISBN 9780190225452. BIOG
Carl von Clausewitz’s On War is considered to be one of the most important treatises on military theory. What is not so well known about this seminal work, however, is the role played by Marie von Bruhl (1779–1836), the wife of the famed theoretician, in honing her husband’s ideas and in editing and posthumously publishing the famed manuscript. In this first-ever, comprehensive biography, historian and journalist Bellinger aims to uncover Marie’s contributions. This impressively researched and richly illustrated account details a modern intellectual partnership. Challenging previous Clausewitz biographers who minimize or misinterpret the nature of their marriage, Bellinger argues that Marie was instrumental to the development of Carl’s thinking and brings to light understudied aspects of the couple’s life and times. Included are important observations about early 19th-century class and gender relations, insights into the positions women held during the Napoleonic Wars, and clarifications as to the connections between Clausewitz and later German nationalists. Bellinger maintains that knowledge of Marie’s responsibility advances the assertion that war is more than the sole preserve of the military and that all people must understand its significance as a political instrument. VERDICT This academic work is ideal for students of military, German, and women’s history.—Marie M. Mullaney, Caldwell Coll., NJ

 

 

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