BY its very nature, research of historical documents can be daunting, frustrating and not always with a satisfactory outcome.

Most research is by historians for historians, consequently dry and complex, and certainly not providing a rewarding read for the amateur historian.

Interestingly, it is said there are more books about Napoleon and his Grand Army and his plans for Europe (as well as quite a few attempting to recapturing his lighter moments with Josephine), than any other historical figure.

For example, York author Christopher Summerville drew on nearly 50 of them for his re-editing of these memoirs. General Count Philippe-Paul de Segur served on Napoleon's staff throughout all of the Emperor's campaigns, and in 1824, more than three years after Napoleon's death, published his account of Napoleon's catastrophic march on Russia.

Entitled "History of the Expedition to Russia, Undertaken by the Emperor Napoleon in the Year 1812", it was an immediate sensation, with editions appearing in every major European language and leading to at least eight reprints. It also upset a few people because de Segur presented Napoleon as a flawed genius.

However, despite the huge interest, the de Segur epic - two volumes in its original form - has now gone out of print. So, Summerville is making amends for this publishing lapse, not with hefty volumes but in a compact single volume, and in a way that should please both historian and amateur enthusiast.

Basically, he has cropped a lot of de Segur's own biographical information, axed a fair bit of the background to the political build-up to the war, cut out repetition and verbose passages, and yet has been able to also include additional helpful material for the modern reader.

Today, there is a handy campaign map, quotations from other contemporary sources, an explanatory introduction to each of de Segur's own riveting chapters and a useful biographical list of the Grand Army's principals.

Taken as a whole, it is a successful book achieved without losing de Segur's own vivid descriptions of the tragic drama and gore faced by so many.

Updated: 08:39 Wednesday, March 12, 2003