Six years after the death of Napoleon, Sir Walter Scott wrote the first, hugely successful biography of Napoleon that riveted Britain and the continent and led to him being challenged to duels by former Napoleon generals. It was probably the first book ever to be extracted in The Times.

Six years after the death of Napoleon, Sir Walter Scott wrote the first, hugely successful biography of Napoleon that riveted Britain and the continent and led to him being challenged to duels by former Napoleon generals. It was probably the first book ever to be extracted in The Times.