Napoleon cover art

Napoleon

A Concise Biography

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Napoleon

By: David A. Bell
Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £7.99

Buy Now for £7.99

Only £0.99 a month for the first 3 months. Pay £0.99 for the first 3 months, and £8.99/month thereafter. Renews automatically. Terms apply. Start my membership

About this listen

This book provides a concise, accurate, and lively portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte's character and career, situating him firmly in historical context.

David Bell emphasizes the astonishing sense of human possibility - for both good and ill - that Napoleon represented. By his late 20s, Napoleon was already one of the greatest generals in European history. At 30, he had become absolute master of Europe's most powerful country. In his early 40s, he ruled a European empire more powerful than any since Rome, fighting wars that changed the shape of the continent and brought death to millions. Then everything collapsed, leading him to spend his last years in miserable exile in the South Atlantic.

Bell emphasizes the importance of the French Revolution in understanding Napoleon's career. The revolution made possible the unprecedented concentration of political authority that Napoleon accrued and his success in mobilizing human and material resources. Without the political changes brought about by the revolution, Napoleon could not have fought his wars. Without the wars, he could not have seized and held onto power. Though his virtual dictatorship betrayed the ideals of liberty and equality, his life and career were revolutionary.

©2015 Oxford University Press (P)2018 Tantor Europe France Historical Military & War Politicians Politics & Activism War Napoleon Bonaparte Military Imperialism French Revolution Biography Royalty Middle Ages Career Latin American Interwar Period

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Napoleon - In a Nutshell cover art
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World cover art
How They Broke Britain cover art
History's Greatest Generals cover art
The Four Horsemen cover art
Suleiman the Magnificent cover art
The World's Greatest Generals: The Life and Career of Napoleon Bonaparte cover art
George Washington cover art
Crimea cover art
Dam Buster cover art
The Napoleonic Wars cover art
Oliver Cromwell cover art
Germany cover art
Ancient Rome cover art
The Politically Incorrect Guide to the British Empire cover art
The Age of Revolution cover art
All stars
Most relevant
A swift review of the life and times of Napoleon. American narrator, for some reason, but fine.

Good potted history

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A very solid summary of a very complex man.

The information within is interesting and presented in an accessible format.

Whilst not overly complex, this book offers a tremendous insight into one of histories most polarising men.

Informative.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.