Part forensic investigation, part dramatic jailbreak adventure, Mark Braude's The Invisible Emperor is a gripping narrative history of Napoleon Bonaparte's ten-month exile on the Mediterranean island of Elba In the spring of 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated. Having overseen an empire spanning half the European continent and governed the lives of some eighty million people, he suddenly found himself exiled to Elba, less than a hundred square miles of territory. This would have been the end of him, if Europe's rulers had had their way. But soon enough Napoleon imposed his preternatural charisma and historic ambition on both his captors and the very island itself, plotting his return to France and to power. After ten months of exile, he escaped Elba with just of over a thousand supporters in tow, landed near Antibes, marched to Paris, and retook the Tuileries Palace--all without firing a shot. Not long after, tens of thousands of people would die fighting for and against him at Waterloo. Braude dramatizes this strange exile and improbable escape in granular detail and with novelistic relish, offering sharp new insights into a largely overlooked moment. He details a terrific cast of secondary characters, including Napoleon's tragically-noble official British minder on Elba, Neil Campbell, forever disgraced for having let "Boney" slip away; and his young second wife, Marie Louise who was twenty-two to Napoleon's forty-four, at the time of his abdication. What emerges is a surprising new perspective on one of history's most consequential figures, which both subverts and celebrates his legendary persona. The Invisible Emperor is both a riveting story and an original examination of how preposterous, quixotic, and grandiose ideas can suddenly leap from the imagination and into reality. “[A] born storyteller…Braude brings this exceptional tale to life with panache and incisive detail.” —H-Diplo “Mark Braude’s The Invisible Emperor paints a charming picture of [Napoleon’s] brief first exile, and points to the stray indications that Napoleon remained on the lookout for a chance to escape and make a comeback.” — New York Review of Books “A particularly authentic and intriguing account of this little-known period in Napoleon’s career. . . . Throughout his book Braude includes important historic details in an engaging prose that alternates between the happenings on Elba and the political situation in France and on the continent. . . . Braude is a fine historian and a talented writer. His portrayal of this dramatic historical moment helps us better to understand Napoleon’s personality as well as the dysfunctional European politics at the time.” — The French Review “A history of Napoleon’s short first exile, rendered in short, punchy chapters. . . . [H]e was there only 10 months and left with a flotilla of armed vessels. It’s great fun reading about the Allies’ attempts to predict his destination, and those anecdotes reinforce our knowledge of the emperor’s great talents.”— Kirkus “ The Invisible Emperor details the deceptively calm but ultimately catastrophic interlude in the 25-year military career of one of history’s most famous soldiers, Napoleon. . . . Intriguing.”— BookPage “An intriguing look at a still controversial public figure during an often overlooked historical period. For readers of French history, there is little about the Napoleonic legend that isn't fascinating, and as Braude proves, the time spent on Elba is no exception.”  – Library Journal , starred review  “A suspenseful, fast-paced account. . . . Braude’s prose glints with humor and humanity. We follow the fortunes of the bewildered citizens of Elba, as their beautiful but poverty-ridden island becomes ground zero for international intrigue. We get poignant glimpses of a time when life was shorter and simpler.” — Seattle Times   “[Braude’s] view of a man still caught up in his own self-image—one which, it must be admitted, was shared by many others—is intriguing.”— BookPage   “Braude renders Napoleon Bonaparte’s 10-month exile on the tiny Mediterranean island of Elba and his brief return to power in 1815 in short, punchy chapters that read like an exciting novel, or an episode of Prison Break. [Braude] has a talent for looking at history from a slant.” — The National Book Review   “Magnificent history.” – Australian Broadcasting Corporation, This Weekend’s Recommended Reading   “[ The Invisible Emperor ] reads very much like a novel, combining romance, drama and the allure of a prison escape. . . . This tale of the emperor’s plotting during his first island exile is recommended.” — Historical Novel Society “A lively and insightful account. . . . Braude has a wonderful eye for the striking image or scene, and establishes the peculiar world of Napoleon’s Elba through vignettes by turns humorous and poignant.” – Times Literary Supplement   “The improbable and riveting story of one of history’s most celebrate