Napoleon and Modern War

About the book

First published by the Military Service Publishing Company in 1943, the collection presents Napoleon’s maxims with Lanza’s commentary. It is the second source book discussed in Founders 337, where David Senra uses a 1949 edition after first reading maxims from Roots of Strategy.

Why read it

Best if you want compact strategic prompts on preparation, initiative and speed, with a clear distinction between Napoleon’s maxims, Lanza’s commentary and David’s business applications.

Evidence and original sources

Sources: official Founders episodes — #337, #338, #339, #341, #353, #368, #376

This record is supported by 11 public evidence rows linked to original Founders episodes.

• Napoleon's Maxims and Strategy — In the Napoleon and Modern War section, David praises small books of maxims as desk-side prompts for thinking, comparing this one with The Tao of Charlie Munger.
• Monty Moncrief Texas Oil Billionaire — David revisits the prior week's Napoleon maxims episode and quotes the passage previously read from Lanza’s annotated collection that experience must be supplemented by study.
• Joseph Duveen: Robber Baron Art Dealer — David cites the Napoleon maxims episode and reuses Lanza's lines on studying the great masters and analyzing histories of wars.
• Cornelius Vanderbilt (Tycoon's War) — David quotes the passage previously read from Lanza’s annotated collection that experience must be supplemented by study while explaining his own note-rereading habit.
• How To Be Rich by J. Paul Getty — David reads the passage previously read from Lanza’s annotated collection on long orders being the enemies of speed to illustrate Getty's rule on clear, fast executive communication.
• Rockefeller's Autobiography — David cites the Napoleon maxims book he covered earlier and quotes the passage previously read from Lanza’s annotated collection on keeping supplies near at hand, reading it as a fortress of cash.