The very first Sharpe book – and if you own an original hardback (of any of the first four or five books) with its dust jacket then take care of it – it’s valuable. I’ve never dared to re-read the book, but so far as I remember it tells the tale of the battle of Talavera and, of course, the plot concerns the need to capture a French ‘eagle’; the battle standard given by Napoleon to each of his fighting regiments.
