Josephine
&
Napoleon Hardback book with Dust Jacket by Margaret Laing Copyright © 1973 Margaret Laing " " The most alluring, most glamorous creature I have ever known ...
A woman in the full sense of the word - volatile, spirited and with the kindest of hearts ...
She was the woman I loved above all. " " " This was Napoleon's description of Josephine, the great love of his life, whom he made his Empress thus fulfilling a childhood prophecy made to Josephine that she would be "greater than the Queen of France."
Later, Napoleon left her for another woman, the daughter of an Emperor, and lived to regret this marriage as "an abyss covered with flowers". " " The life and times and the extraordinary character of Josephine and her relationship with Napoleon are fitting subjects for Margaret Laing, a skilled and sensitive biographer. " " " Margaret Laing is an artist," wrote Bernard Levin about her recent biography of Edward Heath.
Now she turns to a very different situation - an era: Martinique and France under the 'ancien régime' ;
Paris in the grip of the revolutionary terror when Josephine's first husband was guillotined, and Josephine herself was in prison awaiting sentence of death;
the magnificent achievements of the French armies abroad, and corruption and political infighting at home;
the splendours of Napoleon's empire - and a Europe battered by his unremitting ambition ... " " Margaret Laing's insight, artistry, and talent are fully apparent in this intimate and dramatic portrayal of a turbulent life: of a woman, in herself sensitive and ultra-feminine, whose complexities of character and emotion first demanded, then supported, the man who conquered most of Europe.
Her narrative is supported by lavish use of illustrations, in colour and black and white, fully integrated with the text. " Contents includes: " 1 Seven in the Morning 2 Married to a Bachelor 3 Do You Love Him ? 4 'Men Bore Me' 5 Scandal International 6 Caesar's Wife 7 Love, Rouge and Tears 8 A Heavy Crown 9 The Sacrifice 10 Peace and Politics Index " The book is in very good condition with minor wear.
The dust jacket has some wear and tear and is yellowed around the edges, mostly on the inside.
No torn or ripped pages.
There are a few pages with folded edges.
There is a date written on the inside front cover.
No other markings or writing. | 
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