Hi there,

Firstly, please forgive my ignorance if I'm about to sound ridiculously idiotic but I've just read War and Peace and have grown increasingly confused about the various different coalitions formed during (and just before the Napoleonic Wars.

I'm therefore now searching for a book (academic not fiction) which might help to explain these to me in words I can understand! I'm not a total fool but must admit that my knowledge of the history of that period was pretty non-existent before reading W+P but my interest has grown to the point where I now really want to read something more about how the wars progressed, how the various different countries chose which side to be on and also a little more about the reasons that the various 'peace treaties' fell apart leading to each of the Wars of the (1st, 2nd, 3rd etc) coalitions?

I know it's pretty hard, if not impossible to ever find impartial history books (it seems many are only as impartial as the person writing them feels like being) but if anyone has any recommendations, I would truly appreciate it.

Thanks so much.