laura/antoine, 18, intj, from italy (but half french). bigender (she/her/hers - he/him/his) and hellenic polytheist. history, art, social justice. also les misérables and star wars trash. ( )

Books on the Revolution

rbzpr:

Since I have been asked for book recommendations a few times, I thought I would publish a list of the books I have read so far and which seem recommendable to me (which doesn’t mean I approve of everything they say). Here we go:

Biographies:

  • Robespierre: Portrait of a Revolutionary Democrat (G. Rudé): strictly political, but helpful with understanding Robespierre’s views & ideals
  • Robespierre: A Revolutionary Life (P. McPhee): the first Robespierre biography I read (leaving aside Max Gallo’s horrible work), and a solid starter book, although not perfect.
  • Robespierre: The First Modern Dictator (R. Korngold): despite the obnoxious title, this book is recommendable. Although the author isn’t careful in choosing reliable sources, and often distorts the facts for the sake of analogies, it is a solid book; it is often written like a novel and full of literary gems, so it’s enjoyable to read.
  • Jean Paul Marat: Tribune of the French Revolution (Clifford D. Conner): a good Marat biography with some brilliant insights on Marat & the Revolution.
  • Augustin: The Younger Robespierre (M. Young): a wonderful biography of Augustin Robespierre, and since there are only few books written about him (especially in English), I totally recommend it.

Others:

  • The Twelve Who Ruled (R.R. Palmer): Although I often disagree with some things stated in this book, it is brilliant and a crucial lecture when trying to understand the work of the Committee and the circumstances.
  • Robespierre’s Fall (A. Mathiez): a collection of essays by Mathiez with a focus on Robespierre, full of details and brilliant insights.
  • The Incidence of the Terror during the French Revolution (D. Greer): a classic, famous for its collection and interpretation of statistics on the “Terror”. A brilliant book, I highly recommend it.
  • Leaders of the French Revolution (J.M. Thompson): a solid book with brief chapters on some leaders of the Revolution, far from perfect, but recommendable nonetheless if one looks for brief summaries.
  • The Evolution of a Terrorist: Georges Auguste Couthon (G. Bruun): a brief article, but a solid work on Couthon.
  • History & Revolution: Refuting Revisionism (J. Wolfreys & M. Haynes): although only two chapters of it deal with the French Revolution, it is a highly recommendable book in total. The chapter written by Florence Gauthier is a brilliant overview on the Revolution.
  • In Defence of the Terror (S. Wahnich): a good book with some precious insights on the Revolutionaries and their ideals and on the origins of the Terror.

Primary sources:

  • Memoirs (Élisabeth Lebas): a precious work with some rare glimpses on Robespierre’s private life, and on the love story between Élisabeth and Philippe Lebas.
  • Memoirs (Charlotte Robespierre): a good source, although Charlotte is often clearly biased against the Duplay family and distorting facts in order to present herself as an innocent victim.
  • Great Lives Observed: Robespierre (G. Rudé): a collection of translated primary sources, crucial for understanding Robespierre’s image among his contemporaries and in later historiography.
  • Le carnet de Robespierre (A. Mathiez): Robespierre’s notebook from late 1793, which I have translated into English (to be found here)
  • Oeuvres complètes (M. Robespierre): ultimate collection of Robespierre’s works, of which I have translated the speech of 8 Thermidor, the protocol of the session of 9 Thermidor and several letters from Robespierre’s correspondence.  

Dubious books: these books are often extremely biased and distort facts, but nonetheless precious for their details, so only to be read after exhaustive research

  • Saint-Just (J.B. Morton): the author is clearly pro-Danton and pro-Napolen, while being undeniably biased against Robespierre, and therefore often distorting facts so that they fit in his own worldview; nonetheless full of important details on Saint-Just’s life.
  • Camille Desmoulins (V. Methley): like Morton, Methley often distorts facts or misportrays persons, but equally full of important details on Camille’s life.
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  13. patientsisavertu a dit : @rbzpr thanks for this great resource!
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