Saul David Quotes

United Kingdom, Historian
1966

Professor Julian Saul David is a British academic military historian and broadcaster. He is best known for his work on the Indian Mutiny and the Anglo-Zulu War, as well as for presenting and appearing in documentaries on British television covering imperial and military themes.

Also known as Novelist

It is surely no coincidence that Napoleon's two greatest heroes were Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar. In certain respects, he would outdo them both.

Saul David
- Heroes
- Both
- Respects
The people who read the history books tend to have a natural zeal and are alarmingly well-read.

Saul David
- People
- History
- Zeal

Historical facts are the vital framework around which non-fiction writers construct their narratives; they are, quite simply, indispensable.

Saul David
Historians turning their hands to fiction are all the rage. Since Alison Weir led the way in 2006, an ever-growing number of established non-fiction writers - Giles Milton, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Harry Sidebottom, Patrick Bishop, Ian Mortimer and myself included - have written historical novels.

Saul David
We've all faced the charge that our novels are history lite, and to some extent, that's true. Yet for some, historical fiction is a way into reading history proper.

Saul David
- History
- True
- Reading
If I'm at a book signing, and someone decides to take me to task, it can make for quite a sticky moment.

Saul David
- Book
- Task
- Signing
When I was six or seven, we went to the nearest English primary school, St Weonards, about seven miles away. The teaching was good, and this was the start of my beginning to shine as a student.

Saul David
- School
- Start
- Shine
Those who read the fiction assume that, because I'm also a historian, I know what I'm talking about.

Saul David

History tells us that a general can move and feed an army as efficiently as he likes, but the real litmus test is the battlefield.

Saul David
- Army
- General
- Battlefield