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Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the bravest man in the saddle is also the last to see his own mistakes?
Etienne Gerard has no doubts about his sword, his horsemanship or his glory. In Arthur Conan Doyle's linked adventure stories, the old hussar tells of his service in Napoleon's wars. Spies, duels, chases and narrow escapes test his courage—and give his boundless pride plenty of room to cause trouble.
Gerard adores Napoleon and respects the Duke of Wellington as a worthy opponent. But great commanders share the stage with a soldier's world of horse and sabre, quick decisions and desperate bluffs. Across these tales of vanity, loyalty and the comedy of honour, Gerard's bravery shines even when his judgement fails him.
What you’ll discover
- A hero's greatest admirer Meet a narrator whose faith in his own brilliance makes every boast part of the fun.
- Horse and sabre adventures Follow Gerard through chases, duels and narrow escapes where a soldier must act fast.
- Courage tangled with pride Discover how real bravery and ridiculous vanity can live comfortably in the same man.
- An emperor through loyal eyes See Napoleon through Gerard's devotion, with imperial favour the highest prize he can imagine.
- Warmth beneath the wit Enjoy the gap between Gerard's grand account of himself and the mistakes he cannot see.
Who will love it
You will enjoy this book if you like swashbuckling adventure, comic heroes who adore themselves, Napoleonic settings, and clever escapes.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A brave soldier tells his adventures
- Gerard stands beside a stranger
- An enemy becomes a friend
- Escape calls for nerve and mercy
- Helpful advice can hide a trap
- Vanity puts a mission at risk
- Loyalty faces a secret test
- The boasting hides real decency
- A character remains beyond the exploits
Who’s who
- Etienne GerardA vain, brave and quick-witted hussar officer who tells the tales and wants glory, his mother's pride and the Emperor's praise.
- Sub-Lieutenant DurocA pale young officer who wants justice for his murdered father and drags Gerard to the Castle of Gloom.
- NapoleonThe Emperor, who can be warm and terrifying, uses loyal officers for secret errands and rarely thanks them.
- Colonel LasalleGerard's dashing and blunt regiment commander, who picks him for the Emperor's strange mission.
- The BartSir Russell, a cheerful English dragoon who loves sport and bets, saves Gerard and becomes his friend.
- Alexis MorganMarshal Millefleurs, a polite, clever English renegade who holds an abbey in Portugal.
- TalleyrandThe lame, sly minister who wants to know every secret and will not forgive a refusal.
- VioletteGerard's fast gray mare, who carries him through dangerous rides and is loved more than almost anyone.
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The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard
by Arthur Conan Doyle · 1896
Etienne Gerard, vain and fearless hussar, duels, bluffs and gallops through Napoleon's wars in eight tales.
Medium level2–5 hours to read20 languages
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In short
Picture a young hussar locked in a castle storeroom among cheeses and wine barrels. Cossacks are on the way, ruffians wait outside, and a tiny key has just been tossed through the window by a woman who is dragged away.
The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard at a glance
- Reading time
- About 4 h 45 min3 h 45 min fast, 5 h 40 min slow
- Length
- 67,600 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1896by Arthur Conan Doyle
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A private quarrel becomes a trap in the Castle of Gloom
The first tale begins in February 1807. Lieutenant Gerard rides alone through the Polish snow on his black charger, Rataplan. At a crossroads inn he meets Sub-Lieutenant Duroc, a pale boy fresh from military school, who is hunting a man named Baron Straubenthal.
His father was thrown to a murderous crowd by a huge young Jacobin named Carabin, who later fled France under a new name. Gerard never refuses an adventure, and he agrees to go with the boy.
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Which edition is right for me
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Details
- First published
- 1896
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 5 h 30 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-exploits-of-brigadier-gerard.
Doyle, A. C. (2026). The exploits of Brigadier Gerard. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-exploits-of-brigadier-gerard (Original work published 1896)
Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-exploits-of-brigadier-gerard.
@book{doyle2026exploits,
author = {Doyle, Arthur Conan},
title = {The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-exploits-of-brigadier-gerard},
note = {First published 1896}
}
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What is The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard about?
It is eight adventure tales told by Etienne Gerard, an old French hussar. He recalls missions from the Napoleonic wars, with duels, escapes, rides and meetings with the Emperor, all told with great self-belief.
Who is Brigadier Gerard?
Etienne Gerard is a fictional cavalry officer of the Hussars of Conflans, made colonel at twenty-eight. He is brave, vain and generous, and he narrates every story in a chatty, boastful voice.
Is Brigadier Gerard a true story?
No, Gerard is invented by Arthur Conan Doyle. The wars, places and many people, such as Napoleon, Wellington, Massena and Talleyrand, are real, so the adventures sit inside true history.
The author
Arthur Conan Doyle
1859–1930 · British detective novelist
Arthur Conan Doyle was a British writer and physician born in Edinburgh in 1859. He practised medicine in England and wrote novels, short stories and histories. His Sherlock Holmes stories began with A Study in Scarlet in 1887. He also wrote The Lost World in 1912. He died in Crowborough, England, in 1930.
More by Arthur Conan Doyle
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