THE SHARPE COMPENDIUM’S STORY
A few years ago, when searching for information about the Sharpe books, Sharpe films, 95th Rifles, Wellington in the Penninsula, Napoleonic Battles, Waterloo or any other related subjects, there were dozens of sites from which to gather information and conduct research. As time went on, especially where Sharpe and the Rifles were concerned, the number of sites became fewer and fewer as website owners lost interest, lost time to keep them up, or any of a dozen possible reasons. Many of the sites simply disappeared while others lingered on in a limbo state, never being updated, littered with broken links, missing photos and general lack of attention. However, Napoleonic reenactment groups were growing and Sharpe was being rebroadcast and interest in the subject matter were increasing. Those with knowledge and interest were finding themselves asked more and more frequently to advise and answer questions. With fewer places to turn to, there was a definite need for a one-stop, general knowledge website that would appeal to the afficionado, the hobbyist, and the curious. The Sharpe Compendium was born to fulfill that need.
Two outstanding sites that have fallen by the wayside were the original inspiration and some of the content ideas for The Sharpe Compendium have come directly from those sites. One was the MSN Groups Richard Sharpe site which simply disappeared when MSN discontinued the Groups service. The other was The Sharpetorium, perhaps the most well-known and comprehensive of the old Sharpe sites, had not been updated since 2003 and many sections of it had simply gone missing along with a lot of the photos. Attempts to track down the site owners resulted in unanswered emails or emails being returned.
The Sharpe Compendium began life as a subdomain of Sean Bean Online, the largest and most comprehensive Sean Bean fan site on the Internet and the location of a discussion forum with a Sharpe section. Over time it has grown to the level that it needed its very own domain in order to remain manageable. The move to the new domain has allowed it to expand further and many improvements have been made, including the elmination of advertising banners.
The creators of The Sharpe Compendium have no wish to replace or take away from any of the outstanding sites that cover the Napoleonic Wars or the Regency Period in general. Nor is it intended to be a complete reference. For in depth coverage of the Napoleonic Wars, Regency Period or any related subject, please visit Sharpe’s Library for a collection, by subject matter, of links and reference resources. It certainly isn’t complete, but we hope it is a starting place for research and further reading. Please browse around the various sections, leave your comments in the Guestbook and generally enjoy yourself. Materials gleaned from other sources are credited if the details of provenance are known. Should you see anything not properly credited or if you have any suggestion or have something you would like to contribute or if you would like to link to the Compendium, please Contact Us. We are always looking for ways to improve and add to the Sharpe Universe.