The infamous Napoleon Bonaparte died while imprisoned on the island of St. Helena. Until very recently, it was widely believed that he died of stomach cancer, which was prevalent in his family.

This book investigates the case made by Swedish dentist Dr. Sten Forshufvud. After learning the details of Napoleon's final days, Dr. Forshufvud began to suspect arsenic poisoning. Along with Ben Weider, the two delved into sources of available information regarding Napoleon, his imprisonment and those close to him. The authors present a very likely scenario of what really happened based on results of this investigation, along with an analysis of Napoleon's hair confirming arsenic poisoning.

Despite the hair analysis, the case is not completely solved, as Napoleon's final moments on his death bed did not indicate arsenic poisoning. Instead, the authors argue that arsenic was used to make Napoleon ill and then another method was used to finish him off. A likely suspect to the murder as well as a motive are also named.

This is a fascinating book for anyone interested in European history during a turbulent time.

This book is one of the best I've ever read about Napoleon's death. I came by this book during my recent visit of the United States. I was discussing history and unsolved mysteries with a relative of mine when he introduced me to the book. He told me that for the first time a researcher had decided to challenge all the known theories about Napoleon's death. And what a challenge!! According to the author the great Emperor had been poisoned by arsenic during his exile in Saint Hélène. At first I was quite sceptical. Could that be the solution of this mystery? However, the more I read the more I was convinced by the author's argument and by the researcher thourough 'enquête'. Although we might not agree with the identity of the murderer we can't not sweep aside such scientific facts. The book is a real page-turner and I rest assure that all the fans of the subject (and even those merely interested by the scientific aspect of the theory) will find this book extremely interesting and disturbing (in a positive way, of course).

This book was not exactly what I expected. I thought it would be a focused look at the reason the authors thought that Napoleon was assassinated, but much of the text is actually his campaigns and political life. It almost seems that they were trying to make the book look big by adding information that you can easily read in other texts. I really thought this one was going to be different but it fell a little short in my opinion.

This formidable story brings us to the magnificent life of one of the greatest heroes ever existing on earth, and of his mysterious death. It all begins on a lavish sofa at Ajjacio, Corsica, on August 15th 1769,when the second child of the Buonaparte family was born.Then it continues with his becoming general, emperor of France, and conqueror of Europe, until his disastrous attack at Moscow, his abdication, the hundred days,and his exile to a little island in the middle of the Atlantic. It culminates with his poisonment of arsenic and goes through a great detail in his last days before his death.It expands new evidence of his intoxication behind the miserable and tragic life inside the walls of Longwood. Was he really poisoned? Who was really the culprit? How can the author be sure of that? Is there a possibility that Napoleon comitted suicide? You can find all of it in this book. If you're a great admirer of this Eagle of France, I'm sure you won't regret.

This is a wonderful book for anyone who likes history and/or true crime stories. It's amazing that so little has been known about Napoleon's last days, and that so little attention has been paid to such a wonderful book that seeks to explain Napoleon's demise. Through a mix of science and story telling, Weider and Forshufvud weave a tale of intrigue and murder. Their analysis and conclusions are so compelling, and their evidence so convincing, that it would seem impossible for anyone, after reading this book, to believe anything other than Napoleon was poisoned. As someone who is trained in these same forensic sciences and investigative principles, this is a fantastic and accurate book.

I disagree with the reviews above. I feel this book is really confusing. Ive been weight training, on and off, for 7 years at least. Due to lack of progress and chronic shoulder injuries I was forced to rethink my training program and start from scratch; back to the basics.

The book is basically split up as follows:

1) Basics: make up of muscles, stretching, Reps, Sets

2)Set programs A, B, C, D Starting with program A for beginners and ending with D for athletes.

3)Exercises: The above programs contain a number of recommended exercises done over a certain time period. this section explains how the exercises in the above programs are performed.

4)A whole section on nuitrtion: the basics, what kind of diet to maintain according to the type of sports youre in, and a bit about supplements.

Now i personally had no problems till i reached the set programs section. Personally i was hoping the book would teach me how to tailor programs for my own needs. I was more than happy to do set programs, except for the fact that the book was very vague in a few areas. For example, how many sets should one do for each exercise performed. To say that athletes can do such and such number of sets and that beginners should do so and so isn't very helpful for someone trying to get back into training. Plus there is no real mention of whether or not one should incrementally increase weights from set to set. I mean does one stick to one workload weight or increase as one goes on in the same exercise?

I don't know. This maybe a good book for some but it definitely left me more confused than I was to begin with. This is not a book that can be used to tailor your programs at all, which is what I was looking for. Out of fairness I cant say that the set programs don't work as I haven't tried them out. This is the first Weider book ive purchased and it hasn't given me a good first impression. And the only reason i gave this book a two star was because of the few bits of information here and there that i found useful. Definitely not for everyone.

This is one of the best books on fitness that I have read. Its definitely better than a lot of the books on the market. The book would be helpful to beginners, as well as those who have a long history of working out.

The style of the book is written somewhat as a weightlifting by dummies approach, except in a much more professional way. Specifically, the authors stick to general issues in the text, which they then support with more complex details, such as issues relating to physiology, in grey boxes.

For beginners, the detailed workout schedule may prove helpful. For advanced lifters, the discussions on different muscle groups (and how to improve muscle in those groups) is enlightening.

The section on nutrition is very detailed and, quite frankly, a bit long. It was the only part of the book that I viewed as somewhat weak (they tried to outline diets and dietary supplements, which is a very difficult thing to do).

This is the book I've been waiting for! While the exercise component at the front of the book was a little elementary for me (I've been training for three years), the Dynatrition section provided answers to many many questions I've had, and in an easily digested manner. Wonderful.

What shocked me above all, reading this book was the complete lack of objectivity manifested by the author. It seems Napoleon can do no wrong and this is emphasized by the constant need for the author to justify the Emperor's actions, by way of asking rather childish questions and making easy assertions, bordering on sophism. The overall feeling we get is Mr. Weider's need for historical "revenge" and the need to clean Napoleon's name. The autor wants to make us see Napoleon as a martyr, a man who was not a conqueror and made war out of strict necessity. This book is neither intended for neophytes, as it glances too rapidly over key historical moments, nor is it intended for experts, because of its biaised approach to the main protagonist and simplistic approach to events. The writing style is dry, almost newspaper-like and fails to carry the reader. Finally, although Mr. Weider theory of assassination is interesting, recent discoveries have discarted his theory. Overall, a deception.

I find Napoleon fascinating and the book excellent. From what I read, I certainly now believe Napoleon was misunderstood and his death misdiagnosed. Ben Weider has changed history forever with his groundbreaking evidence that Napoleon was murdered and his research shows that there is still much to learn about Napoleon. I learned a great deal about not only Napoleon, one of the world's leading men, but of the happenings in Europe during his era. When I first saw this book available for sale, I could not wait to read it. I am really pleased that I bought it!!

Napoleon: The Man Who Shaped Europe by Ben Weider helped me understand Napoleon better than any other book. It is so clearly written and very compelling, I just couldn't put it down. Numerous biographies of Napoleon are available, but this work is the most straightforward, convincing biography I've ever read. Napoleon Bonaparte's character and achievements have always divided critics and commentators, but in this new book by Ben Weider, I felt I have "met" a Napoleon that is totally different from all the other books I've read. Weider has established his credentials as one of the most evocative of popular historians. It's a must read!!