Napoleon Bonaparte

Book categories: Biographies, Rise & Fall, Writings, Associates, Josephine, Other Women, Stepson, Stepdaughter, Plots Against, Fiction, Jerome, Joseph, Pauline, Exiles & Death, French Revolution, Military Career, Waterloo, Egypt, Italy, Russia, Era, USA, Art, Miscellaneous, Napoleon II, Napoleon III, Other, Children's Books, Movies & Documentaries, French Royalty

Biographies

Napoleon: A Concise Biography by David A. Bell. Emphasizes the importance of the French Revolution in understanding Napoleon's career.

Napoleon Bonaparte by William Doyle. A brief biography of the man who turned Europe upside down in a space of less than 20 years.

Bonaparte: 1769-1802 by Patrice Gueniffey, translated by Steven Rendall. Follows Napoleon Bonaparte from his obscure boyhood in Corsica to his proclamation as First Consul for Life in 1802.

Napoleon: A Biography by Frank McLynn. This biography reveals Napoleon I as a great man and a deeply flawed human being.

Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts. The first one-volume biography to take advantage of the publication of Napoleon's 33,000 letters.

Napoleon by Felix M. Markham. A reconstruction of Napoleon's life based on newly rediscovered documents, including the letters of his wife Marie-Louise.

Napoleon Bonaparte: A Life by Alan Schom. Portrays Napoleon as an evil man and a poor general.

Napoleon: Penguin Lives Biography by Paul Johnson. In Napoleon's insatiable hunger for power, Johnson sees a realist, a brilliant opportunist, and a propagandist.

Napoleon: Man of War, Man of Peace by Timothy Wilson-Smith. A biography that separates and compares the emperor's achievements in war and his legacy in peacetime.

Napoleon: A Life by Adam Zamoyski. Born into a poor family, Napoleon was Emperor of the French at 35. This biography explains him against the background of the Enlightenment.

Napoleon: Conquest, Reform and Reorganization by Clive Emsley. Examines one of the most charismatic characters of the 19th century.

By Michael Broers

Napoleon: Soldier of Destiny by Michael Broers. The first volume of a two-part biography that makes full use of Napoleon Bonaparte's newly released personal correspondence.

Napoleon - The Spirit of the Age: 1805-1810 by Michael Broers. The second volume in Broers' series. This book covers the zenith of Napoleon's power and military might.

Napoleon: The Decline and Fall of an Empire: 1811-1821 by Michael Broers. This book follows Napoleon's thoughts and feelings as he fought to preserve the world he had created.

By Philip Dwyer

Napoleon: The Path to Power by Philip Dwyer. This biography focuses on the evolution of Napoleon as a leader and debunks myths about him, revealing a ruthless, manipulative, driven man whose character has been disguised by the public image he fashioned.

Citizen Emperor: Napoleon in Power by Philip Dwyer. In this second volume of Dwyer's biography, Napoleon, now 30, takes his position as head of the French state after the 1799 coup.

Napoleon: Passion, Death and Resurrection, 1815-1840 by Philip Dwyer. The final volume of Dwyer's trilogy explores Napoleon's life, legacy and myth from first imprisonment, through the years of exile, up to death and beyond.

Other Napoleon Books

The Boyhood and Youth of Napoleon by Oscar Browning. The formative years between Napoleon's birth in 1796 and the siege of Toulon in 1793.

The Eagle in Splendour: Inside the Court of Napoleon by Philip Mansel. The grandeur and extravagance of the court of Napoleon I surpassed even that of that Louis XIV.

Napoleon: A Political Life by Steven Englund. This biography portrays Napoleon as deeply committed to the French Revolution, not to any specific nationality.

To Kidnap a Pope: Napoleon and Pius VII by Ambrogio A. Caiani. An account of the tempestuous relationship between the emperor and his most unyielding opponent.

Napoleon Against Himself: A Psychobiography by Avner Falk. Considers Napoleon's intellect, emotional life, defensive processes, his family background, and his self-destructive actions.

Napoleon: "My Ambition Was Great" by Thierry Lentz, translated by Laurel Hirsch. A history, illustrated with more than 180 images, including paintings, prints, and maps

Napoleon: A Life Told in Gardens and Shadows by Ruth Scurr. A biography that follows the emperor's life through gardens, parks, and forests.

Napoléon Bonaparte: A Reference Guide to His Life and Works by Joshua Meeks. Covers all aspects of Napoleon's life and work. Includes chronology, A to Z section, and bibliography.

Napoleon in 100 Objects by Gareth Glover. A journey across Napoleonic Europe to discover the places, people and objects that tell the his life story.

Napoleon for Dummies by J. David Markham. An accessible guide to the life and legacy of France's most famous leader.

Napoleon and de Gaulle: Heroes and History by Patricia Gueniffey, translated by Steven Rendall. A historian compares two leaders to make the case that individuals matter in history.

Napoleon by R. S. Alexander. How Napoleon's reputation evolved and how it has been altered by such events as the World Wars, and by association with such figures as Hitler and Mussolini.

Napoleon (Grandes Biografias Series) by Manuel Saurina Gimenez. A biography in Spanish.

Rise and Fall

The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte by Robert Asprey combines biography with military history in charting the course of Napoleon's career up to 1805. Followed by a sequel: The Reign of Napoleon Bonaparte.

The Decline and Fall of Napoleon's Empire: How the Emperor Self-Destructed by Digby Smith. Highlights Napoleon's military and naval mistakes, diplomatic and political errors, and domestic and economic blunders.

Napoleon (Profiles in Power) by Geoffrey Ellis. Analyzes Napoleon's political career.

Napoleon: The End of Glory by Munro Price. This book explores why Napoleon lost his crown, exposing his blindness, intransigence and miscalculations; his preference for war and his declining ability to wage it; and his nearly pathological fear of a dishonorable peace.

The Napoleonic Empire by Geoffrey Ellis. Was Napoleon the heir of the French Revolution, or did he distort and abandon its principles? This book offers a synthesis of the central issues in that debate.

Napoleon - Life, Legacy, and Image: A Biography by Alan Forrest. How the son of an attorney became the most powerful man in Europe.

Napoleon and the Art of Diplomacy by William R. Nester. The first comprehensive exploration how Napoleon's diplomatic efforts shaped his military campaigns and the rise and fall of the French empire.

Napoleon Bonaparte: Leadership, Strategy, Conflict by Gregory Fremont-Barnes, illustrated by Peter Dennis. Throughout the first decade of the 19th century, Napoleon won battle after battle, but his fortunes changed in 1812.

Napoleon on Project Management by Jerry Manas. Explores the key principles behind Napoleon's successes and the lessons to be learned from his downfall, and applies them to modern-day project management and leadership.

In His Own Words

In the Words of Napoleon: The Emperor Day by Day edited by R.M. Johnston. Derived from Napoleon's writings and recorded speech, this compilation acts as a diary or journal of the emperor's life.

Clisson & Eugenie by Napoleon Bonaparte, translated by Peter Hicks. Written when Napoleon was 26, this romance shows how he viewed love, women and military life.

Napoleon on the Art of War by Napoleon I, edited by Jay Luvaas. Provides Napoleon's views on everything, from the preparation of his forces to the organization, planning, and execution of his battles.

The Military Maxims of Napoleon edited by William E. Cairnes and David G. Chandler.

Those Who Knew Him

Working with Napoleon: Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte by His Private Secretary by Claude François de Méneval. The author was Napoleon's secretary and close confidant from 1802 to 1815. These memoirs were first published in 1894.

Napoleon's Mameluke: The Memoirs of Roustam Raeza edited by Jonathan North. Roustam Raza was sold into slavery in Egypt, then given to Napoleon in 1799. For 15 years he was Napoleon's personal bodyguard. His reminiscences include Russia in 1812 and life in the imperial palaces.

Napoleon and His Collaborators: The Making of a Dictatorship by Isser Woloch. Napoleon relied not only on a disciplined army, but also on skillful politicians -- some of whom came to oppose Napoleon's transformation from liberator to tyrant. (Review © Amazon.com.)

Napoleon's Marshals by R. P. Dunn-Pattison. Reveals the bravery, incompetence, loyalty, and strategic brilliance of the opportunity-hungry nobles who helped Napoleon retain the imperial crown. First published in 1909.

The Emperor's Friend: Marshal Jean Lannes by Margaret Scott Chrisawn.

At Napoleon's Side in Russia by Armand De Caulaincourt. The memoirs of one of the highest officials in the French Empire.

Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte by Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne. First volume of an illustrated biography of the emperor, written by his private secretary (who was also his boyhood friend). Volume Two, Volume Three, and Volume Four are also available.

The Women in Napoleon's Life

Napoleon: His Wives and Women by Christopher Hibbert. About the women behind Napoleon, from his strong-willed mother and three sisters to his wives and mistresses. The emperor had passionate relationships, wildly worshipping certain women while disdaining others.

Napoleon and His Women Friends by Gertrude Aretz. A look at French emperor Napoleon I's sisters, wives, and mistresses.

Napoleon & Marie Louise: The Emperor's Second Wife by Alan Palmer.-Napoleon Bonaparte married Archduchess Marie Louise to obtain an heir and to cement an alliance with the Austrian dynasty. (Review © Amazon.com.)

Napoleon and the Woman Question: The Other Sex in French Education, Medicine, and Medical Law by June K. Burton. Examines the lives of women under the Napoleonic regime, and includes an analysis of Napoleon's personal attitudes toward women.

Women Against Napoleon: Historical and Fictional Responses to His Rise and Legacy edited by Waltraud Maeierhofer, Gertrud Roesch, and Caroline Bland. Includes contemporary letters, diaries, and writings, as well as 20th century historical fiction.

Books About Empress Josephine
Books About Josephine's Daughter Hortense
Books About Josephine's Son Eugene

Plots Against Napoleon

Killing Napoleon: The Plot to Blow Up Bonaparte by Jonathan North. Paris, 1800. An enormous explosion wreaked havoc. The target was Napoleon Bonaparte, who had become the enemy of republicans and royalists alike.

The Secret War Against Napoleon: Britain's Assassination Plot on the French Emperor by Tim Clayton. How the British government used bribery and coercion in an effort to kill Napoleon Bonaparte.

Stopping Napoleon: War and Intrigue in the Mediterranean by Tom Pocock. Due to British determination to stop Napoleon, rulers had to be flattered or fought, including the Bourbons in Palmero and Napoleon's brother-in-law, the King of Naples.

Fiction

The Second Empress: A Novel of Napoleon's Court by Michelle Moran. Fictional account of the rivalry between Napoleon Bonaparte's second wife, Marie-Louise, and his ambitious sister Pauline.

For the King by Catherine Delors. On Christmas Eve 1800, a bomb explodes along Napoleon Bonaparte's route. Chief Inspector Roch Miquel must arrest the assassins before they attack again.

Books About Desiree Clary

Military Fiction

The Battle by Patrick Rambaud. A novelization of the battle of Essling, Napoleon's first major defeat.

The Retreat by Patrick Rambaud. Novel about Napoleon's disastrous Russian campaign.

Napoleon's Exile by Patrick Rambaud. Last book in Rambaud's trilogy of novels about Napoleon I.

Napoleon's Exiles & Death in Fiction
Novels About Empress Josephine
Novel About Napoleon's Stepdaughter Hortense

Other Bonapartes

Books About Jerome Bonaparte
Books About Joseph Bonaparte
Books About Napoleon II
Books About Napoleon III

Napoleon's Exiles and Death

Books About Napoleon's Fall

Napoleon as a Military Leader

Campaigns of Napoleon: The Mind and Method of History's Greatest Soldier by David G. Chandler. Examines in detail each campaign mounted and personally conducted by Napoleon, analyzing his strategies and the sources of his military ideas.

Napoleon's Wars: An International History, 1803-1815 by Charles Esdaile. Argues that Napoleon was motivated by his insatiable desire for fame, and portrays his wars as the consequence of rulers willing to take immense risks that resulted in the extinction of entire countries.

The Napoleonic Wars: The Rise of the Emperor 1805-1807 by Todd Fisher. This is a study of motives, methods and repurcussions of the Napoleonic wars.

Napoleon's Conquest of Europe: The War of the Third Coalition by Frederick C. Schneid. In 1805, Napoleon marched from the English Channel to Central Europe, crushing the armies of Austria and Russia, in less than 100 days. This victory was the product of years of diplomatic preparation and alliances.

The Wars Against Napoleon: Debunking the Myth of the Napoleonic Wars by General Michel Franceschi and Ben Weider. The authors argue that Napoleon I was not a megalomaniac conqueror, but fundamentally pacifist.

Napoleon's Imperial Headquarters: The Headquarters on Campaign by Ronald Pawly. Offers an intimate glimpse of the emperor's entourage in the field.

The Wars of Napoleon Atlas edited by Thomas E. Griess.

Battle of Austerlitz

Austerlitz: Napoleon and the Eagles of Europe by Ian Castle. Illustrated account of Napoleon's greatest victory and the campaign that preceded it.

1805: Austerlitz: Napoleon and the Destruction of the Third Coalition by Robert Goetz. A study of Napoleon's victory at the "battle of the three emperors."

Napoleon's Greatest Triumph: The Battle of Austerlitz by Gregory Fremont-Barnes. Uses detailed profiles to explore the leaders, tactics and weaponry of the clashing French, Austrian and Russian forces.

Napoleon and Austria

Marengo and Hohenlinden: Napoleon's Rise to Power by James R. Arnold. At Marengo, Napoleon defeated the Austrians. General Jean Moreau beat the combined Austrian and Bavarian armies at Hohenlinden. These campaigns secured Napoleon's dictatorship.

Thunder on the Danube: Napoleon's Defeat of the Habsburgs by John H. Gill. Examines the political background of the Franco-Austrian War of 1809, in which Napoleon faced Archduke Charles, best of the Habsburg commanders. (Volume 1)

Thunder on the Danube, Volume II: The Fall of Vienna and the Battle of Aspern by John Gill. Traces Napoleon's progress as he sought to complete his victory over the Habsburgs.

1809 - Thunder on the Danube: Napoleon's Defeat of the Habsburgs, Vol. III: The Final Clashes of Wagram and Znaim by John H. Gill. A thorough account, from the diplomacy of emperors to the horros suffered by common soldiers in battle. Includes more than 40 specially prepared maps.

The Emperor's Last Victory: Napoleon and the Battle of Wagram by Gunther E. Rothenberg. Tells the story of this immense engagement from both sides, making use of both French sources and the extensive Austrian archives.

Napoleon and Italy

Napoleon in Italy: The Sieges of Mantua, 1796-1799 by Phillip R. Cuccia. The sieges of Mantua symbolized Napoleon's voracious determination to win and Austria's desperation to retain its possessions.

Napoleon's Italian Campaigns: 1805-1815 by Frederick C. Schneid.

Napoleon and Egypt

Napoleon's Egypt: Invading the Middle East by Juan Cole. Tells the story of Napoleon's invasion of Egypt, the first modern attempt to invade the Arab world.

Napoleon in Egypt by Paul Strathern. Reconstructs a mission of conquest inspired by glory, executed in haste, and bound for disaster.

Napoleon and Germany

Napoleon and the Struggle for Germany by Michael V. Leggiere. Two-volume set. This is the first comprehensive history of the Franco-Prussian War of 1813.

Napoleon and Persia

Napoleon and Persia: Franco-Persian Relations Under the First Empire by Iradj Amini. Examines the growing interest of Napoleon in India, French missions to Persia, the Persian mission to Paris, and more.

Napoleon and Russia

Napoleon's Invasion of Russia by Theodore Ayrault Dodge. This book traces Napoleon's state of mind and the factors behind his decisions, using personal letters and genuine reports.

The Burning of Moscow: Napoleon's Trial by Fire 1812 by Alexander Mikaberidze. Napoleon's month-long stay in Moscow was a pivotal moment in the war of 1812 -- the moment when the initiative swung towards the Tsar's armies and spelled doom for the invading Grand Army.

The Illustrious Dead: The Terrifying Story of How Typhus Killed Napoleon's Greatest Army by Stephan Talty. No army could stand against Napoleon Bonaparte's forces, but a microscopic foe brought the emperor to his knees.

1812: The March on Moscow by Paul Britten Austin. Followed by two sequels, Napoleon in Moscow and The Great Retreat.

Moscow 1812: Napoleon's Fatal March by Adam Zamoyski. Shows how the relationship between Napoleon and Tsar Alexander came to distort their alliance and bring about a war that neither man wanted.

Napoleon's Invasion of Russia by Hereford B. George. Separates fact from fiction to provide insight into Napoleon's motives and reasons for his eventual failure.

Napoleon's Army in Russia: The Illustrated Memoirs of Albrecht Adam, 1812 by Jonathan North. A complete set of Albrecht Adam's color plates of 1812 campaign.

Defeat: Napoleon's Russian Campaign by Philippe-Paul de Ségur, translated by J. David Townsend. The author was aide-de-camp to Napoleon, privy to the councils of the emperor's inner circle.

More Books About the Battles of Napoleon

Miscellaneous Napoleon Books

Napoleon: The Imperial Household by Sylvain Cordier. The Imperial Household consisted of the grand chaplain, grand master of ceremonies, grand marshal of the Palace, grand master of the hunt, grand chamberlain, and grand equerry. Features more than 250 works of art.

Napoleon's Chicken Marengo: Creating the Myth of the Emperor's Favourite Dish by Andrew Uffindell. How Napoleon, bickering generals, celebrity chefs, adventurers, artists, and eccentrics created a tangle of myths about a chicken dish.

Napoleon and the Art of Leadership: How a Flawed Genius Changed the History of Europe and the World by William Nester. According to this book, Napoleon was all that his partisans lauded and his enemies condemned.

Napoleon, CEO: 6 Principles to Guide & Inspire Modern Leaders by Alan Axelrod. Lessons for aspiring leaders based on the career of Emperor Napoleon I.

Napoleon's Australia by Terry Smyth. The conquest of Australia was on Bonaparte's agenda for world domination.

More Books About French Royal History

Children's Books

Napoleon I: Emperor and Conqueror by Kimberley Heuston. Biography from the "Wicked History" series for readers age 9 to 12.

Napoleon Bonaparte by Elaine Landau. Biography for children ages 9 to 12.

Napoleon: The Story of the Little Corporal by Robert Burleigh. Biographical picture book for children ages 4 to 8.

Betsy and the Emperor by Staton Rabin. Novel for young adult readers about a rebellious girl whose family is reluctantly housing a notorious prisoner: Napoleon Bonaparte.

Napoleon & Josephine: The Sword and the Hummingbird by Gerald and Loretta Hausman. Fiction for young adult readers.

Napoleon and Josephine Paper Dolls by Tom Tierney.

---

Movies and Documentaries

These DVDs are formatted for North American audiences.

Napoleon Bonaparte: The Glory of France. From his Corsican origins to his ignominious defeat, trace the life and career of one of the most influential and controversial figures in history. From A&E's "Biography" series.

Napoleon and Wellington. Follow the story of the great military leaders who clashed at Waterloo. Discover the one fateful decision that told the outcome of the see-saw fight.

Napoleon: The Myth, the Battles, the Legend. Documentary. Step inside Napoleon's world through dramatic recreations of key events and large-scale reconstructions of his campaigns. An entertaining portrait of an extraordinary life.

Napoleon. Epic 1927 silent film about the emperor. A classic. Out of print, but sometimes available from Amazon.

The Conquerors: Napoleon's Greatest Victory. A look at Napoleon's stunning victory at Austerlitz.

Napoleon. A 2003 television miniseries featuring Isabella Rossellini, Gerard Depardieu, John Malkovich and Christian Clavier.