He inherited the armies of the French Revolution that had overthrown a monarchy--and used them to conquer a continent on a scale never seen before. Napoleon developed what was perhaps the world's first "superpower," setting a pattern that would come to fruition in the twentieth century. From descriptions of Bonaparte's rise; through the years of the Second Coalition and the Grande Armée; to the heights of victory and the depths of defeat at Waterloo, a fascinating portrait emerges of a man and his methods. 224 pages, 70 color illus., 80 b/w illus., 7 3/4 x 10 3/8.