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This is a thread devoted to simply Napoleon himself.

Please feel free to add books, discussions about the man himself, comments, urls and the like.

Note: No self promotion.

by Alan Schom

Brief Synopsis:

by Alan Schom

Brief Synopsis:

You won't come away from this energetic biography thinking much of the French emperor either as a man or as a general. Historian Alan Schom depicts Napoleon (1769-1821) as a cold-hearted manipulator: Schom's blistering accounts of the 1798-99 Egyptian campaign and the disastrous 1812 retreat from Russia show the French army decimated due to its leader's failure to inform himself about the lands he was invading or to properly plan for provisioning his troops. The fun of this book comes from vigorous prose that vividly evokes Bonaparte's titanic personality and the colorful band of schemers surrounding him.

William Doyle

Brief Synopsis:

The French Revolution is one of the most significant events in world history. So much has been written about it that it can be difficult to find a good place to start exploring the subject. Well, look no more. William Doyle has written a terrific introduction to the topic that is wonderful in its scope and yet concise. In this book he is more concerned with why the French Revolution mattered and has continued to matter, that with a retelling of what happened.
Rather than a strict chronological approach, the six chapters of this book give the reader six different perspectives on the same event. Each adds depth to our understanding of the event and its place in history.

Chapter one is called "Echoes" and it relates how this great upheaval was perceived by the rest of the world not only in the newspapers of the day but in fiction and drama. The Importance of Being Earnest, A Tale of Two Cities, and The Scarlet Pimpernel are discussed. The complete text of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizens is included in this chapter as well.

"Why It Happened" is the second chapter. Here the author discusses the causes of the Revolution. This is mainly a description of the Ancien Regime's government and society during the reign of Louis XVI.

The third chapter is called "How It Happened." In this chapter Doyle discusses the Revolution as a series of events that stretched over a number of years. He does an excellent job of showing how each event led to the next. The violent excesses of the guillotine are much more understandable in context.

"What It Ended" is the name of the fourth chapter and my personal favorite. It is here that we see the impact that the Revolution had, not only in France, but throughout the world. Before the Revolution there is a world of Divine Right, religious authority, slavery, peasants, and aristocracy. While this doesn't change overnight, the fact that the people can revolt and change the social order becomes established beyond a doubt. Once changed, society seems unwilling to go back and is changed forever.

The next to the last chapter is called "What It Started," and it deals with the effects the Revolution has had on the world. It also discusses the reaction to the Revolution and the dynamic tension of radical and conservative forces in modern history.

"Where It Stands" is the last chapter. This is devoted to the schools of academic thought on the Revolution. The "classic" interpretation of the Revolution and its critics are outlined with a brief history. The chapter ends with an outline of contemporary thinking about the Revolution.

The book ends with a Timeline, The Revolutionary Calendar, a list of Further Readings, and an Index. The Calendar of twelve 30-day months and five complimentary days that began on September 22, 1793 is especially interesting.

This is a great introduction into the events and meaning of the French Revolution. It will satisfy the reader who wants just one book on the topic as well as the beginning scholar who is looking for a place to start his or her research.

Source: Amazon

by Robert B. Asprey

Brief Synopsis:

Between the years 1805 and 1815, the armies of Napoleon Bonaparte conquered most of continental Europe, establishing their leader, if but briefly, as "a new Charlemagne." In the second part of his two volumes on the life of the emperor, military historian Robert Asprey examines the armies' triumphs and eventual defeat, following in their footsteps from Spain to Russia, and on to Waterloo.
Bonaparte, Asprey writes, aspired to forge and lead a united, peaceful Europe, a quest that required much blood to be shed. A former U.S. marine officer, Asprey is a reliable commentator on matters of battlefield strategy and tactics, and his book's greatest strength is his power to invoke the feel of bloody engagements, which include the Battle of Borodino, where more than 40,000 Russians fell in a single day (cut down, he notes, by the more than 2 million rounds that French muskets fired); Wagram, where French forces managed to eke out victory over their Austrian foes despite a series of costly blunders; Corunna, where the French forces, having marched 15 and more miles a day, proved "that there have probably been no tougher soldiers in the world"; and the decisive action at Waterloo, where French, Belgian, German, and English armies clashed amid thunderstorms and confusion to an end that was anything but inevitable.

Other books do a better job of treating Napoleon as a political being, but Asprey's is one of the better recent books on Napoleon as general, and students of military history will learn much from his account. --Gregory McNamee

Source - Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Robert B. Asprey

Brief Synopsis:

Robert Asprey charts Napoleon's thrilling, reckless rise to power in this fast-paced first volume of the definitive biography of the fascinating, enigmatic, and still mysterious tragic conqueror.
Ever since 1821, when he died at age fifty-one on the forlorn and windswept island of St. Helena, Napoleon Bonaparte has been remembered as either demi-god or devil incarnate. In The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, the first volume of a two-volume cradle-to-grave biography, Robert Asprey instead treats him as a human being. Asprey tells this fascinating, tragic tale in lush narrative detail. The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte is an exciting, reckless thrill ride as Asprey charts Napoleon's vertiginous ascent to fame and the height of power. Here is Napoleon as he was-not saint, not sinner, but a man dedicated to and ultimately devoured by his vision of himself, his empire, and his world.

Source: Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Christopher Hibbert

Brief Synopsis:

"Never was any such event so inevitable yet so completely unforeseen." Alexis de Tocqueville's 19th-century assessment of the French Revolution echoes the contemporary reaction to the monumental events that took place over 200 years ago. Christopher Hibbert's superb historical narrative The Days of the French Revolution captures de Tocqueville's immediacy but tempers it with the hindsight of history. Detailing events from the meeting of the Estates General at Versailles in 1789 to the coup d'état that brought Napoleon to power 10 years later, The Days of the French Revolution captures the passion and ferocity motivating the events and the individuals that most dramatically shaped the Revolution.

Originally published in 1990, The Days of the French Revolution maintains its supremacy among the plethora of French Revolution histories. An acclaimed author of over 25 historical and biographical studies, Hibbert presents complexly related events in a logical, readable format and supplies plenty of historical background and detail without sacrificing clarity or narrative flow. He writes for the general reader unfamiliar with Revolution history, introducing them to individuals as diverse as Marie Antoinette, the young lawyer Danton, the journalist Marat, and the Girondin, sans-culotte and extremist Enragé political factions, weaving their fates together, and adeptly illustrating how they influenced the Revolution and how the Revolution, in turn, changed their lives. Maps, illustrations, a chronology of principle events, a glossary, and a list of major sources supplement Hibbert's eight chronologically ordered chapters, and his prologue, which focuses on the reign of Louis XVI, sets the scene for the events of 1789. At the same time entertaining and informative, The Days of the French Revolution allows its readers to forget that they are reading a book of history. --Bertina Loeffler Sedlack

Source: Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ write-up for book

The most recent biography on Napoleon has been; "The Path to Power" by Philip Dwyer. This is the first volume of a two part series.


by Philip Dwyer
Publishers blurb:
At just thirty years of age, Napoleon Bonaparte ruled the most powerful country in Europe. But the journey that led him there was neither inevitable nor smooth. This authoritative biography focuses on the evolution of Napoleon as a leader and debunks many of the myths that are often repeated about him—sensational myths often propagated by Napoleon himself. Here, Philip Dwyer sheds new light on Napoleon’s inner life—especially his darker side and his passions—to reveal a ruthless, manipulative, driven man whose character has been disguised by the public image he carefully fashioned to suit the purposes of his ambition.

Dwyer focuses acutely on Napoleon’s formative years, from his Corsican origins to his French education, from his melancholy youth to his flirtation with radicals of the French Revolution, from his first military campaigns in Italy and Egypt to the political-military coup that brought him to power in 1799. One of the first truly modern politicians, Napoleon was a master of “spin,� using the media to project an idealized image of himself. Dwyer’s biography of the young Napoleon provides a fascinating new perspective on one of the great figures of modern history.

Reviews:
“Historical interest in Napoléon seems inexhaustible, a reflection of Napoléon’s success in creating a legend, as biographer Dwyer labels the phenomenon, of his heroic destiny. Recounting the youthful Napoléon’s military and political apprenticeship, Dwyer stresses a combination of more prosaic influences than fate in Napoléon’s rise from Corsican obscurity to leadership of France. At crucial points in his ascent, from obtaining a military scholarship to being enlisted in the 1799 coup that brought him to power, Napoléon enjoyed critical political patronage. In detailing these biographical turning points, Dwyer perceptively appraises traits balancing within Napoléon’s ambitions, in which revolutionary enthusiasm (Napoléon was arrested as a Robespierre supporter) was gradually sapped by cynicism about men and politics. Assessing him as essentially opportunistic, Dwyer makes the case by contrasting what Napoléon said was happening (in contemporaneous and retrospective commentary) with what was actually happening: Napoléon’s categorical military failure in Egypt, for example, was believed a glorious success in France. For readers interested in the French Revolution, Dwyer’s biography possesses attractive narrative fluidity and long-term library value as a research source.� � Gilbert Taylor (Booklist)

". . . more than just a canter across familiar terrain. An attractive addition to the literature on one of the most controversial figures in modern European history" -Thomas Munch-Petersen (BBC History Magazine)

"An excellent history and a very good read." - John Merriman, (New York Sun)

"Remarkable . . . . Even-handed and authoritative, this fascinating and highly enjoyable book will be an eye opener even to those who think they know the subject well" - Adam Zamoyski (Sunday Times of London)

"Philip Dwyer's scrupulously researched new biography Napoleon. . . reveals the very familiar and unromantic processes by which [Napoleon's] power was acquired, or rather taken, from a public seduced by myths and romantic fictions." - David Walton (Dallas Morning News)

"[W]ell-written and thoughtfully argued. . . . one recommended to those interested in . . . Napoleon Bonaparte and the French Revolution. It should also be of great interest to political scientists studying the blend of the political and military arenas personified in one man." - Colonel James P. Herson, Jr., (Parameters: U.S. Army War College Quarterly)

"Dwyer deserves praise for elements of his fresh, modern approach and exhaustive research. . . . [His] biography is fascinating in its unusual descriptions of Napoleon's tribulations and his motivations." - Llewellyn Cook (The Journal of Military History)

Marengo: The Myth of Napoleon's Horse by Jill Hamilton

The crowds who flocked to gaze on 'Napoleon's favourite charger', a diminutive grey Arab, believed they were seeing a horse whose career spanned the whole of the Napoleonic Wars: from the Battle of Marengo, for which he was named, to the Russian campaign, in which, aged 19, he had walked 3000 miles to Moscow and back, to his final engagement at Waterloo, where the horse was captured. Hamilton begins her search for the truth behind the Arab stallion with a visit to the Officer's Mess in St James's Palace. Every day after the Changing of the Guard, the officers sit down to lunch at a formal table on which pride of place is given to a delicate silver-mounted horse's hoof, reputedly belonging to the same Marengo. There is no doubt that the horse Marengo belonged to the Emperor, but Hamilton's research reveals that Marengo, who might in reality have been a grey Arab stallion named Ali, was certainly not present at all those battles, and was probably renamed Marengo on being imported to England after Waterloo. The mystery of Marengo's identity forms only a small part of a fascinating narrative which traces the rise and fall of Napoleon by looking at the place that horses - his own and those of his cavalry - played in his military campaigns. Napoleon was not a classically trained rider, but had a natural feeling for horses, and loved to gallop for long distances, relying on a near-symbiosis with the animal to keep his seat. Unlike most of his contemporaries, who preferred the heavier thoroughbred, Napoleon liked the smaller, more nimble Arabs, which he first encountered in his Egyptian campaign. At his coronation it is said that over 5000 horses took part in the parade. By concentrating on Napoleon as horseman, a fresh and very human picture of one of history's great characters emerges. (Kirkus UK)

In telling the poignant story of Marengo, Jill Hamilton shows an unexpected side to the Emperor. She explores Napoleon's enormous regard for horses as well as why it was Marengo, and Marengo alone, who became part of the Napoleonic legend -- not Jaffa, Ali, Desiree or any of Napoleon's many mounts. With a bullet lodged in his tail and the imperial cipher of a crowned letter 'N' burnt on his left flank, a diminutive Arab stallion drew crowds to Pall Mall, London, in 1823. Sightseers came to gaze at the horse advertised as 'Bonaparte's personal charger', whose career had spanned the whole of the Napoleonic Wars, who, to the sound of marching songs had trotted, cantered and galloped from the Mediterranean to Paris, Italy, Germany and Austria, and at the age of nineteen, had walked three thousand miles to Moscow and back. Since then, both dead and alive, this horse with the same sonorous name as Napoleon's great victory, Marengo, has been a star exhibit in Britain. At London's earliest military museum his articulated skeleton was seen by Queen Victoria and displayed as the horse that had carried his master at Austerlitz in 1805, at Jena in 1806, at Wagram in 1809, in the Russian Campaign of 1812, and at Waterloo in 1815. For over 150 years one of his hooves has stood on a gleaming sideboard in the Officers' mess at St James' Palace. Today his skeleton, described as 'Napoleon's favourite horse', is the sole equine exhibit in the vast Waterloo Gallery at the National Army Museum in Chelsea, London. Horses for Napoleon were both utilitarian and glamorous. He used them for recreation, for speed and as majestic pedestals on which he appeared as a larger-than-life figure, but mostly as unstoppable machines of war. As he turned the ramshackle cavalry of the Revolutionary army into the most remarkable cavalry force in history he made spectacular use of horses in battle. But Jill Hamilton has uncovered a secret, hidden away for over a century, a secret which brings her inspiring and moving history to a devastating conclusion.

Overall accounts of Napoleon's life:


by Vincent Cronin

Description:
"As an explanation of the past in personal terms, this is probably the best life of Napoleon we have."--The Economist Vincent Cronin sets out to find a Napoleon he could picture as a living, breathing man. In this, probably the finest of all modern biographies of Napoleon, he superbly realizes his objective.

by Felix Markham

Description:
This magnificent reconstruction of Napoleon's life and legend is written by a distinguished Oxford scholar. It is based on newly discovered documents - including the personal letters of Marie-Louise and the decoded diaries of General Bertrand, who accompanied Napoleon to his final exile on St. Helena. It has been hailed as the most important single-volume work in Napoleonic literature.

by Paul Johnson

Description:
"The very name Napoleon Bonparte still enthralls. Ever since this towering and terrible genius conquered Europe, he has been endlessly debated, compared, and made an icon. In Napoleon, the great dictator's energy and acumen are matched by those of his biographer, Paul Johnson, whose histories have been lauded as "fresh, readable, provocative ... wise" (Los Angeles Times). Here Johnson profiles a man who is "the grandest possible refutation of those determinists who hold that events are governed by forces, classes, economics, and geography rather than by the powerful wills of men and women."" Napoleon charts Bonaparte's career from the barren island of Corsica and his early training in Paris - he was a bold soldier with an uncanny gift for math, maps, and strategy - through high-profile victories in Italy, military dictatorship, and campaigns across Europe, to his end on the forsaken isle of St. Helena. In Napoleon's insatiable hunger for power, Johnson sees a realist unfettered by patriotism or ideology, a brilliant opportunist and propagandist who fulfilled his ambition in the aftermath of the French Revolution. Johnson interprets Napoleon's life in the trajectory of his times, revealing how his complex and violent legacy seeded totalitarian regimes in the twentieth century and sounds an alert to us in the twenty-first century.

Books on more specific areas of his life are:

by Steven Englund

Description:
This sophisticated and masterful biography, written by a respected French history scholar who has taught courses on Napoleon at the University of Paris, brings new and remarkable analysis to the study of modern history's most famous general and statesman.
Since boyhood, Steven Englund has been fascinated by the unique force, personality, and political significance of Napoleon Bonaparte, who, in only a decade and a half, changed the face of Europe forever. In Napoleon: A Political Life, Englund harnesses his early passion and intellectual expertise to create a rich and full interpretation of a brilliant but flawed leader.

Napoleon believed that war was a means to an end, not the end itself. With this in mind, Steven Englund focuses on the political, rather than the military or personal, aspects of Napoleon's notorious and celebrated life. Doing so permits him to arrive at some original conclusions. For example, where most biographers see this subject as a Corsican patriot who at first detested France, Englund sees a young officer deeply committed to a political event, idea, and opportunity (the French Revolution) -- not to any specific nationality. Indeed, Englund dissects carefully the political use Napoleon made, both as First Consul and as Emperor of the French, of patriotism, or "nation-talk."

As Englund charts Napoleon's dramatic rise and fall -- from his Corsican boyhood, his French education, his astonishing military victories and no less astonishing acts of reform as First Consul (1799-1804) to his controversial record as Emperor and, finally, to his exile and death -- he is at particular pains to explore the unprecedented power Napoleon maintained over thepopular imagination. Alone among recent biographers, Englund includes a chapter that analyzes the Napoleonic legend over the course of the past two centuries, down to the present-day French Republic, which has its own profound ambivalences toward this man whom it is afraid to recognize yet cannot avoid. Napoleon: A Political Life presents new consideration of Napoleon's adolescent and adult writings, as well as a convincing argument against the recent theory that the Emperor was poisoned at St. Helena. The book also offers an explanation of Napoleon's role as father of the "modern" in politics.

What finally emerges from these pages is a vivid and sympathetic portrait that combines youthful enthusiasm and mature scholarly reflection. The result is already regarded by experts as the Napoleonic bicentennial's first major interpretation of this perennial subject.

by Christopher Hibbert

Description:
As a soldier and an emperor, Napoleon was ruthless and determined; as a lover, he showed the same single-minded ferocity.
Christopher Hibbert introduces us to the many intriguing women behind Napoleon—from his strong-willed mother and three sisters to his varied wives and mistresses. This lively historical account reveals Napoleon's often neglected private life and passionate relationships, in which he wildly worshiped certain women as often as he disdained others. Vividly evoking the political and social upheavals of post-Revolutionary France, Hibbert captures the vibrant characters who made history, not only on the battlefield but also in the bedroom, including Josephine, the charming Creole from Martinique; the plain and pliant Marie-Louise of Austria; and Marie Walewska, the sumptuous young Polish countess who, despite initial reluctance, was persuaded by her elderly husband to fall in love with Napoleon. Praised by A. N. Wilson as an "outstanding popular historian," Hibbert dramatically brings to life the most intimate influences on Napoleon's turbulent career and character. 16 pages four-color, 8 pages black-and-white illustrations.

Some very good books there Max, good post. Which book is your favourite so far?

Thanks Rick. Well my favourite biography of Napoleon so far is probably the one you mentioned:

by Philip Dwyer

It's a well-rounded account and was the first ever book I read on Napoleon. I really enjoyed it and can't wait for the second part to it. What's your favourite biography on him?

Hi Max, it has to be the same book :)


by Philip Dwyer

Wow Max, here we got something in common. My favorite too.

Haha, Well it looks like Andre, Rick and myself all have good taste!

Here is another book that I really enjoyed on Napoleon although it has received some mixed reviews from other readers:

by Alistair Horne
Description:
Austerlitz was Napoleon's greatest victory, but it was also the beginning of the end. The success blurred his tactical vision and although there were victories after it, the apogee had been reached and the process has begun which resulted in the 1812 Russian campaign and Waterloo, his last battle.

Reviews:
"The new volume shows Mr. Horne doing what he does best: writing lively, interesting, anecdote-enriched, and scholarly popular history. How Far from Austerlitz? is what popular history should be, fascinating and edifying, a rattling yet also sobering good story." - The New York Times

"An engrossing work by a master historian." - William F. Buckley, Jr., (The National Review)

"Concise and vivid...Mr. Horne's skill as a writer keeps the story fresh and intriguing." - The Washington Times

"A delight." - The Los Angeles Times

"Few military historians have given me more enjoyment than Alistair Horne; his newest book does not disappoint." - The Military History Quarterly

Another book by Alistair Horne that, among other things, examines his nature as a ruler is:

by Alistair Horne

Description:
The age of Napoleon transformed Europe, laying the foundations for the modern world. Now Alistair Horne, one of the great chroniclers of French history gives us a fresh account of that remarkable time.

Born into poverty on the remote island of Corsica, he rose to prominence in the turbulent years following the French Revolution, when most of Europe was arrayed against France. Through a string of brilliant and improbable victories (gained as much through his remarkable ability to inspire his troops as through his military genius), Napoleon brought about a triumphant peace that made him the idol of France and, later, its absolute ruler.

Heir to the Revolution, Napoleon himself was not a revolutionary; rather he was a reformer and a modernizer, both liberator and autocrat. Looking to the Napoleonic wars that raged on the one hand, and to the new social order emerging on the other, Horne incisively guides readers through every aspect of Napoleon’s two-decade rule: from France’s newfound commitment to an aristocracy based on merit rather than inheritance, to its civil code (Napoleon’s most important and enduring legacy), to censorship, cuisine, the texture of daily life in Paris, and the influence of Napoleon abroad. At the center of Horne’s story is a singular man, one whose ambition, willpower, energy and ability to command changed history, and continues to fascinate us today.

I will have to read the Dwyer book. I've read the one below and it wasn't bad:

Alan Schom

Philip Dwyer

I find it a bit strange that I see so very few French books here about Napoleon - if any...
Why?

Napoléon, tome 1 : Le Chant du départ by Max Gallo

this is just the first in the series.

Le soleil noir de la puissance, 1796-1807 by Dominique de Villepin

La chute ou l'Empire de la solitude : 1807-1814 by Dominique de Villepin

Napoléon mon aïeul, cet inconnu by Charles Napoléon

somehow the goodreads site has problems with French spelling...

Andre, are those books available in English do you know?

Max, no idea. But Max Gallo probably has been translated - he is after all one of France's biggest historians and member of the Académie Francaise.

Here, I found some:











by

Max Gallo

These works are very interesting. I have never come across them before. Thanks for putting them up, Andre.

You'll have to find out which are fiction and which non-fiction. Max Gallo writes both - but both kinds very well.
I'm not sure about translations though.

It would be interesting to read an account of Napoleon written as historical fiction. Thanks again, Andre.

I have seen about four volumes by Max Gallo in English which are historical novels as such. Also did they base that mini-series "Napoleon" on his books, it was a French production I think and I quite liked it.

Here are some good sites dedicated to Napoleon:





And here is a book about Napoleon and his style of leadership, tactics, genius, etc. and examines the man's nature at work. Good for those who wonder how he has become known to us as one of the greatest commanders in history.

by Colonel Vachee

Description:
First translated into English in 1914, "Napoleon at Work" is a detailed, step-by-step analysis of the military tactics and methods adopted by Napoleon Bonaparte in the time leading up to, and during, the Jena Campaign of 1806. Written by the distinguished French tactician and strategist, Colonel Vachee, this book aimed to examine and illustrate the military genius of Napoleon as it was at the very height of his career, as well as the lessons in warfare which could be learnt from him for the 'battles of the future'. This fascinating study explores the many elements that contributed to his success; from the organisation and movements of staff, to Napoleon's own strategic decision-making, and, most importantly, the recognition of the necessity of a formidable leadership to achieve victory in warfare.

Hi Max, I purchased a second hand hardback copy of "Napoleon at Work" recently, its great, has a nice pull out map book at the back so you can follow the campaigns and battles.

by Colonel Vachee

I have been trying to find older books on Napoleon for my library like; "Napoleon The Portrait Of A King" by R. McNair Wilson.

by R. Wilson

I have a few which I will post here when I can just in case they interest you or others :)

Hi Rick, glad to hear it's a good read, I look forward to reading it. A good maps always handy too.

I look forward to the posts!

Some of the older classic accounts on Napoleon that I have collected to date include:


by Antoine-Vincent Arnault (1861 edition)
Description:
Subtitle: Giving an Account of All His Engagements, From the Siege of Toulon to the Battle of Waterloo: Also, Embracing Accounts of the Daring Exploits of His Marshals; Together With His Public and Private Life, From the Commencement of His Career to His Final Imprisonment and Death on the Rock of St. Helena Volume: 1-2 General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1849

by Emil Ludwig (1926 edition)
Description:
This is the great classic biography of Napoleon, just as it was first published in 1926, with the cover here being the original cover on the 1926 work. This book has been reprinted many times, by many different publishers. Here we are using the original 1926 First edition. There have been many other biographies of Napoleon. What makes Emil Ludwig's work the most famous of all is his literary style and presentation. The book starts with "The Island", and then follows with "The Torrent", "The River", "The Sea" and finally concludes with "The Rock". This biography by Emil Ludwig (1881-1948) is at its best when dealing with the personality and the character of Napoleon. He brings Napoleon to life. No other writer has done that so well and it is for this reason that this biography is the most famous.

The Author:
Emil Ludwig was born Emil Cohn in Breslau on 25 January 1881. Ludwig was apparently a pen name. His work on Napoleon was a best seller and made him famous. It secured his livelihood as a professional writer. He wrote many other books. Among others, he wrote biographies on Goethe, Bismarck, Lincoln, Hindenburg, Beethoven, Jesus, Cleopatra, Mussolini and Roosevelt, but he never hit another home run like he did with his book on Napoleon. He wrote his books in German but, due to the success of his book on Napoleon, they were translated almost immediately into English. Perhaps his most noteworthy work, aside of his book on Napoleon, was his interview of Joseph Stalin in Moscow on December 13, 1931. One can see from this interview on the one hand how Stalin was a capable administrator and on the other hand how his actions led to the deaths of millions. One can also see in this interview the seeds of the deal to divide Poland and the makings of World War II. In 1940, Ludwig moved to America, where he was able to live off the royalties to his works. After the war, he returned to Europe as a journalist and died there in Ascona, Switzerland on 17 September 1948.

Two nice old hardback books that I recently acquired for my library covering aspects of Napoleon are listed below. Both books were published in London in 1909 by Methuen & Co.

by R. P. Dunn-Pattison
Description:
The careers of the first men of the First Empire.

The rank of Marshal of France was the highest military rank within the armies of the Bourbons in the days before the French Revolution tore down the aristocratic establishment and signalled a period of change where citizens could rise on merit rather than as a right of birth. Revolution turned to Consulate and-under the seemingly invincible and unstoppable influence of Napoleon Bonaparte-to Empire. In 1804 Napoleon reinstated the rank as the highest attainable by his officers, and he knew his ambitious soldiers well for many fought and died driven by the idea that 'every soldier carried a marshal's baton in his knapsack,' the opportunity to advance in status and wealth for those who might rise to Napoleon's challenge no matter how lowly their origins. Between 1804 and 1815 Napoleon created twenty six Marshals. They were the men upon whom he would depend for victory on the battlefield or whilst conducting campaigns on their own. All cherished their positions and the power, influence and wealth that came with them. All sought to maintain what they had won and this resulted in jealousies and actions often contrary to their masters best interests. They were men who had come from all levels of society, of mixed talents, some brave as lions, others timid and cautious, the clever and the simply methodical, the fiercely loyal and those ready for betrayal at a moment of personal advantage. Some, essentially, had a talent for attracting good luck-an essential trait in the Napoleonic assessment. Here are the origins, victories, defeats and fates of the men who for more than a decade set Europe ablaze in an orgy of fire and blood at the behest of their master, Augereau, Grouchy, Macdonald, Massena, Moncey, Murat, Perignon, Poniatowski, Soult, Victor and sixteen more of Napoleon's men.

by A.H. Atteridge
Description:
This book tells the fascinating and little-known story of the four brothers of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Usually obscured by the fame of their imperious brother, Joseph, Lucien, Louis and Jerome Bonaparte are the main focus of this group biography, which explores the important role each of the brothers played in European history
It provides an excellent account of Joseph, who was made King of Naples and of Spain by Napoleon, Lucien, an ally of Robespierre during the Reign of Terror and later president of the Council of Five Hundred, Louis, made King of Holland in 1806, and Jerome, King of Westphalia



Mr Atteridge is a great author and his books on Marshal Ney and Murant are well worth reading even though they were also published in the early 1900's.

and by A.H. Atteridge

Max wrote: "It would be interesting to read an account of Napoleon written as historical fiction. Thanks again, Andre."

Sure, Max, anytime.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Hi Max, I purchased a second hand hardback copy of "Napoleon at Work" recently, its great..."

Hi Rick, nice adds!

Max wrote: "Here are some good sites..."

Hi Max, nice adds!

I agree with Andre. Good adds, Rick, thank you. I've added them to my list.

My pleasure, I like to share and there are some great old books out there :)

Here is one more classic, first published in English in 1938 and one book that I hope to read soon; "Napoleon Soldier and Emperor" by Octave Aubry.

by Octave Aubry
Description:
A comprehensive survey of the little Corsican's life from his early days in military college, as a soldier, through the Revolution and his rise to power as Consul, world hero and Emperor, and concluding with Napoleon's exile to Elba, the Emperpor's return and St. Helena.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Here is one more classic, "Napoleon Soldier and Emperor" by Octave Aubry..."

Nice, Rick - his works are hard to get, even in French. Is it an illustrated version?

Hi Andre, it has 25 illustrations in doubletone.

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Hi Andre, it has 25 illustrations in doubletone."

Hi Rick, that's the nice one!

Well I finished my book; "Napoleon Soldier and Emperor" by Octave Aubry and although it was published in 1938 so some of the research is a little dated it was one of those books that was easy to read and dragged you through the pages of history with ease. The author was a man who believed in Napoleon and saw the good things that he accomplished. I think the book is well worth the time to read if you have an interest in Napoleon.

by Octave Aubry

A new book is being released in August, 20011 by:
Johannes Willms (no photo). It is Napoleon And St. Helena: On the Island of Exile.
There was no citation available for the book or the cover. This was listed in one of my new catalogues and it piqued my interest. Thought I would mention it since some of you may be familiar with this author who has done other works on Napoleon. The price is right and I intend to order it.

Hi Jill, it does sound like an interesting book and looks like someone has added the details of the book for you:

by Johannes Willms

Hmmmmm.....it wasn't there when I posted. It is not going to be released until August, so maybe they just put it up there.
I looked up St. Helena just to get an idea of how isolated it is........unbelievable. It is almost impossible to get there.....5 days from Capetown, for example. I don't think I will be visiting any time soon!!!!

Nope, not your normal place to visit but apparently it is quite nice.

upcomming book that sounds interesting..


by William Nester

A small library could be stocked with books written about Napoleon the general, whose battles and campaigns have been studied extensively. Warriors, however, are not generally known for their diplomatic skills and Napoleon Bonaparte is no exception. After all, conquerors are accustomed to imposing rather than negotiating terms. For Napoleon, however, the arts of war and diplomacy meshed. Napoleon was often as brilliant and successful at diplomacy as he was at war, although at times he could also be as disastrous at the diplomatic table as he was on his final battlefield. William R. Nester’s Napoleon and the Art of Diplomacy: How War and Hubris Determined the Rise and Fall of the French Empire is the first comprehensive exploration of Napoleon the diplomat and how his abilities in that arena shaped his military campaigns and the rise and fall of the French empire.

Napoleon’s official diplomatic career lasted nearly two decades and involved relations with scores of kings, queens, ministers, diplomats, and secret agents across Europe and beyond. All those involved asserted their respective state (and often their private) interests across the entire span of international relations in which conflicts over trade and marriage were often inseparable from war and peace. For Napoleon, war and diplomacy were inseparable and complementary for victory. Much of Napoleon’s military success was built upon a foundation of alliances and treaties.

Although not always at war, Napoleon incessantly practiced diplomacy on a steady stream of international issues. Some of his noteworthy achievements in this arena included his 1797 Treaty of Campo Formio with the Austrians after he defeated them in the Italian campaign; the 1807 Treaty of Tilsit, when he incorporated Tsar Alexander of Russia as his junior partner while France was still at war with Britain; and, the 1812 Conference of Dresden, where the crowned heads of Europe allied with France and opened his massive (and disastrous) invasion of Russia.

Nester’s masterfully researched and written Napoleon and the Art of Diplomacy fills a gaping hole in Napoleonic literature by providing a vital and heretofore neglected dimension that allows readers to fully understand one of history’s most intriguing, complex, and powerful leaders.

Looks good, thanks for posting the details Tom.

I am currently reading my copy of "Napoleon at Work" by Colonel Vachee, which was first published in 1914. I am finding it a surprisingly interesting and enjoyable book and figured I'd shared this section from the book:

“The majority of the conscripts, sons of the people, were enrolled by force, and left their village without enthusiasm for warlike deeds. Yet these coerced men, carried away by a powerful influence, were quickly transformed into the splendid soldiers we know. ‘Duped, the soldier was by Napoleon, as the weak are by the strong, and yet he never ceased to become enthusiastic about him, to come under his charm, and to obey his will; nay, he even loved him, especially when he was no longer there�.�

Memoires de Meneval, vol. iii p.8


by Colonel Vachee

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "I am currently reading my copy of "Napoleon at Work" by Colonel Vachee, which was first published in 1914. I am finding it a surprisingly interesting and enjoyable book and figured I'd shared this ..."

Amazing. I've read this before somewhere. His charisma must have been "bouleversant"