Who owned Waterloo? covers a great deal of ground in a relatively short space and without ever feeling too compressed. Reynolds writes very well: his prose is lively and free of jargon, so that this is a monograph which can be read for pleasure as well as information. He shows great skill in selecting examples to explore in detail, while never losing sight of the wider picture, and his judgment is confident and convincing. This is an important book which explains a great deal about the way that memories of Waterloo contributed to Britain's understanding of her place in the world in the decades following the battle, and, by implication, how other countries in other times shape their own self-image.
