" ... The first single-volume, cradle-to-grave biography to take advantage of the recent publication of Napoleon's thirty-three thousand letters, which radically transform our understanding of his character and motivation"--Jacket.

Called an "outstanding work of popular history" by The New York Times, this book is the biography of an enigmatic and legendary personality, as well as the portrait of an entire age. The author explores relevant political, cultural, military, commercial, and social history. -- Publisher's description.