Volume 1 of a three volume special edition of this famous memoir Students interested in the age of Napoleon are aware of the writings of the diplomat, Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne, the author of these substantial and celebrated memoirs. Bourrienne's texts have frequently been published in multi-volume editions in abridged and unabridged form. This Leonaur edition offers the entire work, unabridged, in an accessible three volumes, to enable students of the period to own Bourrienne's work at a reasonable cost. All personal memoirs suffer from a subjectivity that tends to portray the author in a good light and often gloss over his worst qualities while seeking to deny or justify less admirable actions. In this Bourrienne's work is no exception, for despite the book's title Bourrienne's activities feature prominently and many critics have focussed upon this aspect of his work. Nevertheless, Bourrienne knew Napoleon from the earliest days when they were students together. As young men they saw the rise of Revolutionary France and Bourrienne continued to be a close member of Napoleon's court during his meteoric acquisition of power. Bourrienne's knowledge of Napoleon throughout the greater part of his career is virtually without parallel and it is for this reason that these books are essential reading for all those interested in the life of this great and driven man.
Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.