For his life and a basic reading list see Napoleon I of France.
Such list is far from exhaustive, a French specialist of Napoleon, Jean Tulard, considered by his peers "the master of Napoleonic studies", estimating in 2014 that there are some 80 000 books written about him, a number which rises constantly. Napoleon is among the most written-about figures in history; Jean Tulard noted that more books have been written about him than days have passed since his death.
Major biographies
Asprey, Robert. The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte and The Reign of Napoleon Bonaparte (2002); 2 vol., 1200pp; popular biography focusing on the military Thomas Hernault, Napoléon ou les vertus, Éd. La Simarre, Paris, 2025 . Barnett, Corelli. Bonaparte (1978) Bell, David Avrom. Napoleon: A Concise Biography (2015) Broers, Michael. Napoleon: Soldier of Destiny (2014) Broers, Michael. Napoleon: The Spirit of the Age: 1805–1810 (2018) Broers, Michael. Napoleon: The Decline and Fall of an Empire: 1811–1821 (2022) Dwyer, Philip. Napoleon: The Path to Power (2008), to 1799 Emsley, Clive. Napoleon 2003 142 pp, very succinct coverage of life, France and empire; little on warfare Cronin, Vincent. Napoleon (1971), favorable popular bio Dwyer, Philip. Napoleon: The Path to Power (2008), 672 pp; vol. 1 of major new biography, to 1799 Ellis, Geoffry. Napoleon (1997) Englund, Steven. Napoleon: A Political Life (2004). 575 pages; the best (and most advanced) political biography in English; thin on military Falk, Avner. Napoleon Against Himself: A Psychobiography (2007) offers novel explanations for his many irrational, self-defeating, and self-destructive actions. Fisher, Herbert. Napoleon (1913) 256pp old classic online edition Fremont-Barnes, Gregory. Napoleon Bonaparte (2012) Fournier, August. Napoleon the First: A Biography (1903); 836 pages; excellent old biography online edition Herold, J. Christopher. The Age of Napoleon (1963) 480pp, popular history stressing empire and diplomacy Johnson, Paul. Napoleon: A Penguin Life (2002). 208 pp. Lefebvre, Georges: Napoleon, (2 vol. 1935; English translation 1969), influential but dated French perspective Markham, Felix. Napoleon 1963. 304pp online edition McLynn, Frank. Napoleon: A Biography (2003) 752pp, stress on military Roberts, Andrew. Napoleon: A Life (2014) Rose, Tom Holland. The Life of Napoleon I: Including New Materials from the British Official Records, (2 vol. 1903), old but solid scholarship; online edition vol. 2 Thompson, J. M. Napoleon Bonaparte: His Rise and Fall (1954) Tulard, Jean. Napoleon: The Myth of the Saviour (1985), influential French biography Woloch, Isser. Napoleon and His Collaborators: the making of a dictatorship (2001)
General reference Chandler, David. Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars (1993) Esposito, Vincent J. and John R. Elting, A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars (1999); textbook; includes the West Point maps Fremont-Barnes, Gregory. ed. The Encyclopedia of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars: A Political, Social, and Military History (ABC-CLIO: 3 vol. 2006) Furet, François and Mona Ozouf, eds. A Critical Dictionary of the French Revolution (1989), 1120pp; long essays by scholars; conservative perspective; stress on history of ideas Greiss, Thomas E. West Point Atlas for the Wars of Napoleon (1986) 70pp; all maps are online Nafziger, George F. Historical Dictionary of the Napoleonic Era. 2002. 353 pp. Nicholls, David. Napoleon: A Biographical Companion. 1999. 300 pp. Pope, Stephen. Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars (2000). 572 pp. Smith, Digby. The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book (1998); 582pp; data on 2000+ individual battles, clashes, sieges, raids, capitulations, and naval engagements
Military studies
Adkin, Mark. The Waterloo Companion: The Complete Guide to History's Most Famous Land Battle (2002) 448pp excerpt and text search Arnold, James R. Napoleon Conquers Austria: The 1809 Campaign for Vienna (1995). 247 pp. excerpt and text search Bell, David A. The First Total War: Napoleon's Europe and the Birth of Warfare as We Know It (2008) excerpt and text search Chandler, David. The Campaigns of Napoleon: the Mind and Method of History's Greatest Soldier (1973), 1216 pp; experts call it the best military synthesis Cole, Juan. Napoleon's Egypt: Invading the Middle East (2007) excerpts and online search from Amazon.com Connelly, Owen. Blundering to Glory: Napoleon's Military Campaigns (2nd ed.; 2006) negative on Napoleon's skills Coote, Stephen. Napoleon and the Hundred Days (2005). 320 pp. Dodge, Theodore Ayrault. Napoleon; A History of the Art of War (1904), old classic online edition Duffy, Christopher. Austerlitz, 1805 (1999) Duffy, Christopher. Borodino and the War of 1812 (1999). Elting, John R. Swords Around a Throne: Napoleon's Grande Armée (1997), influential study Epstein, Robert M. Napoleon's Last Victory and the Emergence of Modern War (1994) on Austrian war of 1809 Esdaile, Charles J. Napoleon's Wars: An International History, 1803–1815 (2008), 656pp excerpt and text search Esdaile, Charles J. The French Wars 1792–1815 (2001). 96pp online edition Fisher, Todd. The Napoleonic Wars (2001-4) 3 vol; 96pp, short, well-illustrated operational history excerpt and text search vol. 1; excerpt and text search vol. 2; excerpt and text search vol. 3 Forrest, Alan. Napoleon's Men: The Soldiers of the Revolution and Empire. 2002. 248 pp. Fortescue, J. W. A history of the British army (19v 1899-1930) full text vol. 4 pt2: 1789–1801online edition vol. 6: 1807–1809; full text vol. 7: 1809–1810; full text vol. 8: 1810–1812; full text vol. 9: 1813–1814; full text vol. 10: 1814–1815 Gates, David. The Napoleonic Wars, 1803–1815 (1997) 304pp; attacks Connolly and says N's "brilliance as a military commander has rarely been equalled let alone surpassed" Gill, John. With Eagles to Glory: Napoleon and His German Allies in the 1809 Campaign (1992) Goetz, Robert. 1805: Austerlitz; Napoleon and the Destruction of the Third Coalition (2005). 368pp Griffith, Paddy. The Art of War of Revolutionary France 1789–1802, (1998); 304 pp; excerpt and text search Hamilton-Williams, David. Waterloo: New Perspectives; The Great Battle Reappraised (1994). 416 pp. excerpt and text search Herold, J. Christopher. Napoleon in Egypt (1962) online edition Kagan, Frederick W. "Russia's Wars with Napoleon: 1805–1815", in The Military History of Tsarist Russia, ed. Frederick W. Kagan and Robin Higham (2002), 106–22. Kagan, Frederick W. The End of the Old Order: Napoleon And Europe, 1801–1805 (2006) first of four promised volumes; covers the strengths and strategies of all the powers excerpt and text search Leggiere, Michael V. Napoleon and Berlin: The Franco-Prussian War in North Germany, 1813. 2002. 384 pp. excerpt and text search Leggiere, Michael V. The Fall of Napoleon. Vol. 1: The Allied Invasion of France, 1813–1814 (2007) 690pp excerpt and text search Lieven, Dominic. "Russia and the Defeat of Napoleon (1812-14)". Kritika: Explorations in Russian and Eurasian History 2006 7(2): 283-308. Fulltext: in Project MUSE. Argues Alexander's successful strategy has been neglected Liaropoulos, Andrew N. "Revolutions in Warfare: Theoretical Paradigms and Historical Evidence—the Napoleonic and First World War Revolutions in Military Affairs". Journal of Military History 2006 70(2): 363–384. Full text in Project MUSE. Lieven, Dominic. "Russia and the Defeat of Napoleon (1812–14)" Kritika: Explorations in Russian and Eurasian History 7#2 (2006) 283-308 online in Project MUSE Luvaas, Jay. Napoleon on the Art of War (2001) 288 pp. A synthesis, arrangement, and translation of Napoleon's thinking. excerpt and text search Lynn, John A. The Bayonets of the Republic: Motivation and Tactics in the Army of Revolutionary France, 1791–94 (1984); influential analysis excerpt and text search Muir, Rory. Tactics and the Experience of Battle in the Age of Napoleon (2000), 466pp excerpt and text search Nofi, Albert A. The Waterloo Campaign, June 1815. 1993. 333pp online edition Nosworthy, Brent. With Musket, Cannon and Sword: Battle Tactics of Napoleon and His Enemies (1996). 528 pp. Paret, Peter. "Napoleon and the Revolution of War", in Paret, ed. Makers of Modern Strategy (1986) Pericoli, Ugo. 1815: The Armies at Waterloo (1973) Riley, J. P. "How Good Was Napoleon?" History Today, (July 2007) 57#7 10pp in EBSCO Riley, J. P. Napoleon and the World War of 1813: Lessons in Coalition Warfighting (2000). 480 pp Riley, Jonathon. Napoleon As a General: Command from the Battlefield to Grand Strategy (2007) Roberts, Andrew. Napoleon & Wellington: The Battle of Waterloo and the Great Commanders Who Fought It (2001) Rogers, H.C.B. Napoleon's Army (1974) 240pp, well illustrated synthesis by leading scholar excerpt and text search Rothenberg, Gunther. The Art of Warfare in the Age of Napoleon 1978 Schneid, Frederick C. Napoleon's Italian Campaigns: 1805–1815 (2002); 229pp online edition Tarle, Eugene. Napoleon's Invasion of Russia, 1812. 1942. online edition
Impact on France Bergeron, Louis. France under Napoleon (1981), French viewpoint Forrest, Alan. "Propaganda and the Legitimation of Power in Napoleonic France". French History, 2004 18(4): 426-445. Fulltext: in OUP journals Furet, François. The French Revolution, 1770–1814 (1996), pp 211–65 on Napoleon Furet, François and Mona Ozouf, eds. A Critical Dictionary of the French Revolution (1989), 1120pp; long essays by scholars; conservative perspective Goubert, Pierre. The Course of French History. 1991; French textbook; ch. 14 online edition Lyons, Martyn. Napoleon and the Legacy of the Revolution (1994) Paxton, John. Companion to the French Revolution (1987), hundreds of short entries. Scott, Samuel F. and Barry Rothaus. Historical Dictionary of the French Revolution, 1789-1799 (1984), short essays by scholars Sutherland, D.M.G. The French Revolution and Empire: The Quest for a Civic Order (2nd ed 2003), comprehensive survey Sutherland, D.M.G. France 1789–1815. Revolution and Counter-Revolution (2nd ed. 2003, 430pp) excerpts and online search from Amazon.com
Diplomacy and impact on Europe Blanning, T.C.W. The French Revolutionary Wars 1787–1802 (1996). Broers, Michael. Europe under Napoleon 1799–1815 (1996) 291pp, covers everything except the battles Bruun, Geoffrey. Europe and the French Imperium, 1799–1814 1938. excellent survey of all of Europe Dwyer, Philip G. ed. Napoleon and Europe, (2001), essays by scholars on each major power Ellis, Geoffrey. The Napoleonic Empire (1991) Grab, Alexander. Napoleon and the Transformation of Europe (2003), pp. 249, maps; excellent synthesis excerpt and text search Hill, Peter P. Napoleon's Troublesome Americans: Franco-American Relations, 1804–1815 (2005) Lyons, Martyn. Napoleon and the Legacy of the Revolution (1994) Muir, Rory. Britain and the Defeat of Napoleon, 1807–1815 (1996). 466 pp. Parker, Harold T. "Why Did Napoleon Invade Russia? A Study in Motivation and the Interrelations of Personality and Social Structure", Journal of Military History 54 (April 1990): 131–46. . Rothenberg, Gunther E. "The Origins, Causes, and Extension of the Wars of the French Revolution and Napoleon", Journal of Interdisciplinary History, Vol. 18, No. 4, (Spring, 1988), pp. 771–793. . Rude, George F. and Harvey J. Kaye. Revolutionary Europe, 1783–1815 (2000), scholarly survey Schroeder, Paul W. "Napoleon's Foreign Policy: A Criminal Enterprise", Journal of Military History 54 (April 1990): 147–62. Highly negative Schroeder, Paul. The Transformation of European Politics, 1763–1848. 1996; Elaborate detail; advanced history; very hostile to Napoleon; online edition Woolf, Stuart. Napoleon's Integration of Europe (1991) 320pp online edition Cambridge Modern History (1907) vol. 9: Napoleon online edition, older articles by scholars, 900pp