I need a good book about Napoleon Bonaparte?

Question

I just read an amazing book about Josephine Bonaparte (Josephine, by Carolly Erickson) and now I'd like to learn more about Napoleon... I'd prefer it to be more about Bonaparte the man and emperor, not so much about his conquests. If you have a good recommendations, I'd be grateful. On another note: Josephine was a great book, it reads like fiction, slightly biased (as in, Josephine is portrayed almost as a victim to the whims of the men in her life), but a good read nonetheless. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

Answer 1

I'm currently reading that book on Josephine. I do have to agree that it is biased towards Josephine, read a few biographies on Napoleon and her actions will be presented in a slightly different light.

As for Napoleon, I suggest Napoleon by Frank Mclynn, it has loads of information about him and does not dwell on his military conquests. You should also check out Napoleon For Dummies by J. david Markham which has its own podcast http://napoleon.thepodcastnetwork.com/

One more thing I would suggest although it isn't a book is http://www.napoleonicsociety.com/ They have a huge amount of information on Napoleon.

Answer 2

I know that the Count of Monte Cristo has some elements of Bonaparte in it. It's not really ABOUT him, but his history affects a lot of the plot, and I learned quite a bit about him reading. But it's actually a revenge story of a man named Dante, whose life is ruined after he is accused of being a Bonapartist.

Answer 3

I haven't actually read it yet, but I've skimmed and it seems ok.

Max Gallo - 'Napoleon - the song of departure'

Apparently it was a best seller in France, and its part of a quintet, which means thats a ~lot~ of napoleon to read about.

I mean obviously they're novels so they won't be 100% historically accurate, but historical novels focusing on a particular figure are generally well researched.

Answer 4

I'd recommend Vincent Cronin's "Napoleon".  Appended are some readers' reviews; I'm not so interested in military history, but I was fascinated by Napoleon the man.  A chapter on his military business is followed by a chapter on him personally, and so on.  I found it a fascinating read.

http://www.amazon.com/review/product/000...