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‘I was immediately intrigued . . .’

‘The other week, a surprise parcel turned up in the mail for me. Inside was a beautiful, clothbound new edition of a never-before-published Ronald Welch book, The Road to Waterloo.

For those just joining us, Ronald Welch was an English schoolteacher and historian whose Carey Family Series of novels for boys follow the thrilling adventures of the members of a noble family through English history. With their rigorous focus on military history, the Carey series is a lot like G.A. Henty, but quicker and easier to read.

Welch’s books have been out of print for years, but have recently been reissued in beautiful limited collectors’ editions by Slightly Foxed. Now, Slightly Foxed have done us one better with The Road to Waterloo, a previously unpublished novella.

Our hero in this short book is James Carey, a 17-year-old cornet in the Light Dragoons, who will go on to become the benevolent uncle in Nicholas CareyOne of the things that struck me in that book was how different the grown James Carey was from most of the other Carey men. While most of the Careys in this series have brilliant military careers, James is different: he left the army in order to become an explorer and philanthropist. I found him extremely refreshing as a standard of exemplary manhood that was peacable rather than violent.

So when I realised that this novella was about James’s early military career, I was immediately intrigued . . .’


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