Napoleon's Library: The Emperor, His Books and Their Influence on the Napoleonic Era

Explores the enigmatic Napoleon Bonaparte's intimate relationship with books and history, going far beyond his more militaristic and imperial fame.

Napoleon Bonaparte held absolute political power in France and his influence stretched across Europe and beyond. Yet he remained – between leading his armies and ruling over a vast empire – an indefatigable reader who even carried libraries into battle.

Bonaparte’s love of the written word, birthed in childhood and nurtured as an adolescent and yo...