For however much I’ve read and watched about Napoleon Bonaparte, there always seems to be more to discover, or at least revisit. I suppose, then, I’m posting here today on the 210th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo as a reminder that I ought to visit that battlefield at some point… and probably read a well-received biography.
The recommended reading in this case is a longform article by British historian and journalist Andrew Roberts, written for Smithsonian magazine on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the famous battle. While the article title muses on the “what if,” the actual article reads more like a condensed version of Roberts’ celebrated biography (having not read the biography at the time of this post, I can’t be sure of this premise, but an extended episode of Marvel’s What If…? it ain’t).
In any case, it was an informative read and, if you want a literary warm-up to diving deeper, allons-y!