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Other titles in the Penguin Lives Biographies series:
Napoleon (Penguin Lives Biographies)by Paul Johnson
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:The very name, Napoleon Bonaparte, 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 "the grandest possible refutation of those who hold that events are governed by forces, classes, economics, and geography rather than the powerful wills of men and women." With masterly eloquence, 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. He 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. Review:"The selection of the venerable British historian and right-wing gadfly Paul Johnson to write on Napoleon (who has been the subject of more biographies to date than any other human being except Jesus Christ) has turned out to be a wise one: Johnson is succinct, critical, and deeply skeptical of the Napoleonic legend." Brooke Allen, Atlantic Monthly (read the entire Atlantic review) Review:"A prolific and popular historian, Johnson provides an excellent overview. In what amounts to an extended essay, this volume in the Penguin Lives series presents a concise appraisal of Napoleon's career and a precise understanding of his enigmatic character." Booklist Review:"Why another biography of Napoleon now?...Napoleon's is a grandly cautionary life....Johnson's antiromantic treatment brings into sharp focus the ills he identifies with "Bonapartism," and that focus certainly justifies this new look at the much-studied old general." Library Journal
Review:"...a near-perfect model of what a brief book can and should be: crisp, clear and strongly personal." Book Magazine Book News Annotation:Historian and lecturer Paul Johnson provides a crisp personal
biography of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), addressing his life and
career, taking into account the context in which he lived, and
discussing how his complex and violent legacy spawned totalitarian
regimes long after his death.
Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Synopsis:With masterly eloquence, a bestselling historian offers a searching portrait of a man who shaped history and cast his shadow over two centuries. About the AuthorPaul Johnson is an acclaimed historian whose many bestselling books-including Modern Times, A History of the American People, and The History of Christianity-have been translated into numerous languages. Johnson is a frequent contributor to publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Spectator. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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