Access to the complete collection of the Moniteur and the Journal de l'Empire, more than 800 memoirs, 5,000 works on the two Empires, nearly 35 current history periodicals, the most recent bibliographical works in English, German and Italian, access to the Multimedia room, research assistance from the Fondation's staff, and a digital catalogue for the library, these are just some of the services offered by the Fondation Napoléon's Bibliothèque "Martial Lapeyre".

And there is only one condition of entry: that you are interested in, or researching into, the history of the First or Second Empires. There is no charge, the three library reading rooms are pleasant to work in and comfortable, and almost all the books are on open access. A small charge is made for photocopying.

Set in the heart of Paris (148 boulevard Haussmann) and growing continuously both in old and new books, the library of the Fondation Napoléon is open at times designed to suit readers, namely :

Monday, 1pm to 6pm
Tuesday, 1pm to 6pm
Wednesday, 1pm to 6pm
Thursday, from 10am to 3pm

Opened in the early days of the Internet in 1996, this 'general interest' site has more than 20,000 pages presenting the history of the two Empires. With more than 1,400,000 visitors in 2000, it is the premier site worldwide for those interested in Napoleon, whether historians or enthusiasts. It is bi-lingual, French and English and offers various services, but most notably a free weekly email newsletter which visitors sign up for. And whether you're looking to learn, to be amused or simply to have a wander, this site provides for all.

The aim of napoleonica.org - a site created, designed and run by the Fondation Napoléon - is to put rare or previously unpublished documents of Napoleonic interest at the disposal of historians and researchers. On line since November 2000, this site currently presents 4000 documents taken from the archives of the Conseil d'Etat. New documents are added every six months. A high-powered search engine and detailed introductions to the collections written by specialists make it possible for users to save precious time and to work at any hour of the day ... or night !