There have been many biographies of the Emperor Napoleon over the years and in many languages, however most tend to be either overly laudatory, mostly those written in French, or caustically negative, mostly those written in English. Thankfully this work suffers neither polarity of opinion, sticking to historical fact, rigorous analysis and an even handed portrayal of the subject, without any undue distortion from the realities of the era. Professor Seeley's biography grew, as he says himself in his preface, out of an impossible task to provide a shortened biographical sketch of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Unsatisfied that so great a subject could be adequately be dealt with in such a format, he penned his excellent short work on Napoleon. Free from vitriol, the book sets a standard that few modern works can be said to have achieved.