The Napoleon Bonaparte Collection

The Greatman’s Library Napoleon Collection brings together the books that shaped the mind of Europe’s most formidable commander and statesman. It includes the histories, classics, military treatises, and literary works that Napoleon read and carried with him, reflecting both his strategic genius and his insatiable curiosity.

The collection spans the ancient authors he admired, the Enlightenment thinkers who informed his political vision, and the military texts that guided his campaigns. Alongside these are the plays, poems, and novels that enriched his cultural imagination and sustained him in moments of solitude. His reading combined practical study with a fascination for biography, history, and philosophy, revealing a mind equally devoted to action and reflection.

From Caesar’s campaigns and Plutarch’s Lives to the works of Rousseau, Voltaire, and Corneille, these books illustrate the intellectual world that Napoleon drew upon to legitimise authority, inspire armies, and shape laws. They also highlight the tension between his admiration for classical models and his modern ambition to reshape Europe.

What’s Covered in The Greatman’s Library: Napoleon Collection

Ancient & Classical Works

• Caesar’s Commentaries on the Gallic and Civil Wars
• Greek historians — Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon
• Roman writers — Livy, Tacitus, Plutarch
• Epic poetry — Homer, Virgil

Enlightenment & Political Thought

• Rousseau’s writings on liberty and government
• Voltaire’s histories and philosophy
• Montesquieu’s Spirit of the Laws
• Thinkers of reason, reform, and revolution

Military History & Strategy

• Classical campaigns and tactical studies
• Writings on fortification, artillery, and logistics
• Histories of Alexander, Hannibal, and Frederick the Great
• Reflections on command, leadership, and discipline

Literature & Drama

• French dramatists — Corneille, Racine, Molière
• European classics of poetry and theatre
• Romantic and moral literature as read in exile
• Works embodying themes of destiny, virtue, and tragedy

Biographies & Historical Narratives

• Lives of great leaders and conquerors
• Histories of nations and empires
• Accounts of revolution and reform
• Narratives of exploration and discovery

Philosophy & Reflection

• Debates on law, justice, and sovereignty
• Writings on the role of religion and morality in society
• Enlightenment critiques of tradition and authority
• Meditations on the nature of power and empire