Anyone who has made use of Vincent Esposito's classic Westpoint Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars (or any of his other Atleses) is sure to be disappointed by this replacement in the Westpoint series. The maps are still the most detailed and complete collection readily available, but they offer no improvement over the Esposito edition. If anything, the addition of more, and brighter, colors simply detracts from the content.

Missing too is any narrative or descriptive text. In fairness, this book is meant to be a companion to a text, but dividing the description so completely from the maps precludes the two best aspects of the earlier works. First, this book is not at all suitable as a self-contained reference. Second, the old format of text-opposite-map forced the short, crisp narrative style that makes the more traditional West Point Atlases so appealing.

The scale of the maps chosen for this work is also unfortunate. Except for a few of the bigger and better known battles, the maps are on too large a scale to reflect the tactics, but too narrow a scale to show the grand tactics or strategy of the situation.

When I saw a paperback version of the Westpoint Atlas for under twenty dollars I bought it sight unseen. It now has the distinction of being the only book I have ever returned for a refund. The price was right but the book wasn't.

It turns out that the earlier Espositio edition is still available, and it is well worth the extra thrity or so dollars.

It's unfair to judge this atlas purely in comparison to Esposito's work, for which it was not meant as a "replacement." This book is part of the larger West Point Military History Series, each work compiled and written for the series by numerous West Point authorities; Esposito was simply a West Point professor writing his own books, and not specifically for the series.
This atlas effectively accompanies the series' Wars of Napoleon, and is best used in conjunction with that text. But it can be a useful guide no matter what book you read. It is true that Esposito's work is more detailed, and that is deservedly the specialist's choice. But the more general reader should find this guide helpful and easier to follow, in addition to being considerably cheaper--a better deal all around.