PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
Originally trained as an economist and after having worked for more than a decade as an investment banker on Wall Street, in 2002 Emilio Ocampo became an historian. Since then, he has written three books and more than a dozen articles dealing with early nineteenth century history in Europe and America. He is currently based in Buenos Aires where he works as a consultant and teaches at the Univesidad del CEMA.
"""Ocampo provides a fascinating if necessarily disjointed account of efforts to free Napoleon and establish him as ruler somewhere in the Western Hemisphere, asserting that many of the revolutionary movements in colonial Spanish America were enmeshed in these intrigues. Men like Bernardo O'Higgins, José de San Martín, and Simón Bolivar alternatively utilized or sought to thwart these plots. Ocampo has researched widely and well--it is a pity the publisher chose not to include the full bibliography that apparently appeared in the 2007 Spanish edition to this work--and his extensive footnotes illustrate his diligent research in a large number of archives and other primary sources. The author convincingly links all this activity to the greater diplomatic concerns of the era and argues that fears of Napoleon's escape were an important consideration for all the powers. If the book has a weakness, it is perhaps to attribute too much coherence to the activities of so disparate a group of veterans, admirers, adventurers, and entrepreneurs. Ocampo's efforts merit further investigation. Bottom line: important for grad students, researchers, and specialists. Highly recommended."" --CHOICE ""[Ocampo] traces the conspiracies, political enthusiasms, and political consequences that animated the Atlantic world following the abdication of Napoleon and his confinement in St. Helena. He convincingly argues that Napoleonic veterans and the Bonaparte family acted in ways that roiled the political environments of both Europe and the Americas until Napoleon's death.""--Lyman L. Johnson, coauthor of Colonial Latin America ""This work is original and makes a contribution to our knowledge and understanding of the last years of Napoleon. . . . [It] focuses on the efforts and plans to rescue him from St. Helena during the years 1815-1821 . . . and provides many interesting biographies of the people who played an important role in trying to free Napoleon."" --Alexander Grab, author of Napoleon and the Transformation of Europe"
