In 1805, the world of music was set on its ears by a new work from a German composer. Intellectually and emotionally, Beethoven''s Third Symphony, the ''Eroica'', was revolutionary music. After those first two stunning chords, Western music was never the same again. And the whiff of actual political revolution was woven into the work, for it was originally dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte, a dangerous hero for a composer dependent on conservative royal patronage.

James Hamilton-Paterson reconstructs this great moment in Western culture, the shock of the music and the symphony''s long afterlife.

The Landmark Library is a testament to the achievements of mankind from the late stone age to the present day. Each volume is handsomely illustrated and carries a text of 25,000 words devoted to a crucial theme in the history of civilization.