Masson, Frédéric

Masson, Frédéric, 1847–1923, French historian, an authority on Napoleon I and his family. His work is uncritically laudatory with regard to Napoleon himself; his admiration, however, did not deter his severe indictment of Napoleon's relatives in Napoléon et sa famille (13 vol., 1897–1919). Among his books translated into English are Napoleon at Home (1894), Napoleon, Lover and Husband (1894), and Napoleon and His Coronation (1911). Other writings include, in collaboration with Guido Biagi, Napoléon inconnu (1895), containing unpublished manuscripts of Napoleon and valuable notes on his early life.