For some reason, I’ve recently been reading French History, because why not? I don’t know how it got started, but it did: and once started, I couldn’t stop. Here’s the bibliography, so far.
The Collapse of the Third Republic — William Shirer
The Franco-Prussian War — Michael Howard
Dawn of the Belle Epoque — Mary McAuliffe
The Vertigo Years: Europe, 1900-1914 — Philipp Blom (re-read, because it’s brilliant)
The Marne, 1914: The Opening of World War I and the Battle That Changed the World — Holger H. Herwig (told from the German side)
The French Army and the First World War — Elizabeth Greenhalgh
France and the Après Guerre, 1918–1924 — Benjamin F. Martin
La Belle France: A Short History — Alistair Horne (I’m still busy with this one; I’m only up to the succession of Henry II in 1547, so still a way to go.)
On deck: France On The Brink — Jonathan Fenby
Yeah, that’s what’s been keeping me busy over the past three weeks. All are well recommended except the last one (because I haven’t read it yet).
One last note: I cannot recommend The Vertigo Years highly enough. When people talk about the social- and psychological dislocation of the Information Age, you have to know that we’ve experienced it before: when the Age of Speed dawned, in around 1900. If you read no other book from the above list, this is the one.
Novels, but they made me understand the religion war in france better than school books. the série ” Fortune de France ” By Robert Merle.
Thank you for the book list. Got to add these to it ASAP.
JQ
The Guns of August, by Barbara Tuchman. It’s no French history per se, but the French had a thing ot two to do with it and its aftermath.
The Guns of August, by Barbara Tuchman. It’s no French history per se, but the French had a thing or two to do with it and its aftermath.
I’ve been currently chipping away at Skeet Skelton’s “Hoglegs, Hip Shots and Jalapenos” and “the Merchant John Askin; Furs and empire at British Michilimackinac” by Justin Carroll.
Skelton’s work is an absolute classic. It’s a collection of his articles from the 60s through the early 80s. Quite a few of his articles are still very relevant today.
Carroll’s work is about the fur trade in northern Michigan. It’s a beautiful area.
JQ