The first single-volume biography written since the publication of more than thirty thousand letters from Napoleon Bonaparte, which have forced historians to radically rethink their views of his character and aspirations. At last we see the great military leader and statesman as he really was: a versatile man, capable of solving many problems at once, with exceptional determination and, at the same time, an astonishing willingness to forgive his unfaithful wife Josephine, his political opponents, and even his enemies.