About the Author

Michael Broers is a Professor of Western European History at Oxford University. He is the author of The Napoleonic Empire in Italy, winner of the Grand Prix Napoleon Prize, and Napoleon: Soldier of Destiny and Napoleon: The Spirit of the Age, both available from Pegasus Books. He lives in Oxford, England.

Reviews

Breathtaking. The best--and certainly the most original--scholar writing in this field writing in English. Broers succeeds admirably.

Broers delivers a well-told story full of action and insight, with the added power of Napoleon's own words.

Does an excellent job of delineating the emotional and intellectual development of the Corsican general-turned-French emperor. Offers a wonderful sense of the genius--and man--who was so stunningly able to remake European boundaries and mores after the meltdown from the French Revolution. Among the plethora of Napoleon biographies, this is immensely engaging for lay readers.

Scholars, Francophiles, and lovers of military history will welcome this comprehensive yet highly readable narrative of the life and times of Napoleon Bonaparte--the first in any language to make use of new archival material currently being compiled by the Foundation Napoleon in Paris. Rooted in the most recent secondary scholarship, the narrative is enriched with maps, images, and lithographs. Highly recommended for general readers and scholars alike.

The great strength of Broers's book arises from its detail, empathy and even-handedness. He draws extensively on the newly edited volumes of Napoleon's 'Correspondence Generale, ' as well as the thinking of numerous contemporary scholars, whom he generously acknowledges. He presents his information clearly and sometimes even lyrically, though his pages nonetheless demand close attention. This is a serious work, the product of reflection as well as research befitting a distinguished professor of Western European History at Oxford.--Michael Dirda

A fresh and highly intelligent look at Napoleon.

Stimulating and genuinely innovative.