Hum...

[trf-chan.livejournal.com]

I'm supposed to be looking forward to 'Christmas, what I want for' at the moment. I've been looking around for books about The French Revolution, and I was wondering if anyone has opinions on the following:

The Days of the French Revolution by Christopher Hibbert

Fatal Purity: Robespierre and the French Revolution by Ruth Scurr

Saint Just by Norman Hampson

Vive la Revolution by Mark Steel

Thanks!

Comments

[jesta-ariadne.livejournal.com]

Vive la Revolution is funny. It actually was the first whole book I read on the revolution, a couple summers ago..... and believe it or not, the amusing little character sketch of Camille Desmoulins in there started that whole obsession ^^; Heh. I want to find it again now. I'm sure a lot of the wonderful anecdotes may be a bit apocryphal, and I felt like I still had a lot of factual gaps after reading it (fair enough as my first look into the whole convoluted thing, I suppose!) and of course it's highly highly opinionated... But what isn't?? At least he's very honest about the fact. Main thing is that it is so very entertaining, and refreshing and YES he mercilessly mocks Schama and other people (and Blue Peter!) Which is fun. And it's written by someone who is obviously and admittedly obsessed, and who trawls old bookshops for anything at all vaguely related :) And it has the best bibliography I have ever read ever. Seriously.

As a quite random other suggestion, you should get The Life and Opinions of Maximilien Robespierre (Hampson too), if you haven't already read it.