New Criterion, December 1st, 1999
Fenton Bresler Napoleon III: A Life. Carroll & Graf, 300 pages, $27.50
Being a fan of Napoleon III can be frustrating. Friends and relatives confuse the glorious victor of Marengo, the Pyramids, and Austerlitz with his nephew who was sickened by the sight of blood at the battles of Solferino and Magenta in 1859. They confuse the vendor of Louisiana for the instigator of the Mexican adventure. "Their" Napoleon wanted to invade England from the French port of Boulogne; "your" Napoleon actually invaded Boulogne from England. The prints and books and portraits of the first Napoleon given to you...
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