For further reading about Josephine Bonaparte and her world
(For articles about Josephine: click here. I also have quite a bit of information for readers of the Trilogy on Q&A about the Josephine B. Trilogy.)
Bruce, Evangeline. Napoleon and Josephine; The Improbable Marriage. Scribner; New York; 1995. Beautifully written, refreshingly researched. If you read only one book, this is the one.
Mossiker, Frances. More Than a Queen; the story of Josephine Bonaparte. Knopf; New York; 1971. Although this is a biography written for young adults, it is one of my favourites. Clear prose, beautiful illustrations, well-researched.
Oman, Carola. Napoleon’s Viceroy; Eugène de Beauharnais. Funk and Wagnalls; New York; 1966. Well-researched, fair, well-written.
Schama, Simon. Citizens; A Chronicle of the French Revolution. Alfred A. Knopf; New York; 1989.
Novels set during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras:
Mantel, Hilary. A Place of Greater Safety. Penguin; London; 1992. Winner of a Book of the Year award. An amazing accomplishment.
Piercy, Marge. City of Darkness, City of Light. Fawcett Columbine; 1996. Historically accurate, a wonderful book. Piercy does not ignore the significant role of women in the Revolution.
Selinko, Annemarie. Désirée. William Morrow & Company; New York; 1953. The classic.
Simon Leys. The Death of Napoleon. Picador; 1991. A “what-if” senario, beautifully-written, poetic, spare. This award-winning novel is now a wonderful movie.
Winterson, Jeanette. The Passion. A poetic novel about Napoleon’s chicken chef.
For further reading about Napoleon
There are innumerable books! One place to begin might be the newest biography by UK historian, Andrew Roberts: Napoleon, a Life.
Cronin, Vincent. Napoleon. Collins; London; 1971. Although unobjective (decidedly pro-Napoleon), I recommend this book. It is very readable, gives wealth of captivating detail, and captures the spirit of both the man and the time.
The Napoleon Series website offers a wealth of information as well as a discussion forum.
