France in History & Nonfiction eBooks

Expatriate Paris

A Cultural and Literary Guide to Paris of the 1920s

by Arlen J. Hansen ...

Paris has long been a storied center of art and culture, and of romance, but in the 1920s its magnetism was especially irresistible. From around the world writers, artists, and composers steamed in, to visit or linger, some to reside. For travelers, Francophiles and the curious, this gossipy retrospective of expatriate life in Paris in the 1920s is a mosaic of quick glimpses—Sarah Bernhardt ... Read more

$16.99 CAD

Paris has long been a storied center of art and culture, and of romance, but in the 1920s its magnetism was especially irresistible. From around the world writers, artists, and composers steamed in, to visit or linger, some to reside. For travelers, Francophiles and the curious, this gossipy retrospective of expatriate life in Paris in the 1920s is a mosaic of quick glimpses—Sarah Bernhardt
... Read more
Napoleon and his Marshals

Victory, Rivalry, Betrayal

by Andrew Roberts ...

From the award-winning, Sunday Times bestselling author of Churchill and Napoleon the Great, the dramatic story of the team of rivals who propelled the rise and fall of history's greatest warrior.In 1804, immediately after he appointed himself Emperor, Napoleon created the Marshalate, the supreme military honour of the empire. Over the next decade, he elevated to it some of his most outstanding ... Read more

$17.99 CAD

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From the award-winning, Sunday Times bestselling author of Churchill and Napoleon the Great, the dramatic story of the team of rivals who propelled the rise and fall of history's greatest warrior.In 1804, immediately after he appointed himself Emperor, Napoleon created the Marshalate, the supreme military honour of the empire. Over the next decade, he elevated to it some of his most outstanding
... Read more
The Diligent

A Voyage Through the Worlds Of The Slave Trade

by Robert Harms ...

The groundbreaking history of the Atlantic slave trade, winner of the Mark Lynton History Prize, the Frederick Douglass Book Prize, and the J. Russell Major Prize.In The Diligent, acclaimed historian Robert Harms reveals the complex workings of the slave trade by drawing on the private journal of First Lieutenant Robert Durand to recreate the macabre journey of a French slave ship.The Diligent ... Read more

Was $16.99 CAD Now $2.99 CAD

The groundbreaking history of the Atlantic slave trade, winner of the Mark Lynton History Prize, the Frederick Douglass Book Prize, and the J. Russell Major Prize.In The Diligent, acclaimed historian Robert Harms reveals the complex workings of the slave trade by drawing on the private journal of First Lieutenant Robert Durand to recreate the macabre journey of a French slave ship.The Diligent
... Read more
House of Lilies

The Dynasty That Made Medieval France

by Justine Firnhaber-Baker ...

The definitive history of the Capetians, the crusading dynasty that made the French crown the wealthiest and most powerful in medieval Europe and forged France as we know it today.“A joy to read from start to finish. This is not only the best history of the Capetian dynasty now available in English, it is also one of the most entertaining popular history books published in recent years.” —Dan ... Read more

Was $20.99 CAD Now $1.99 CAD

The definitive history of the Capetians, the crusading dynasty that made the French crown the wealthiest and most powerful in medieval Europe and forged France as we know it today.“A joy to read from start to finish. This is not only the best history of the Capetian dynasty now available in English, it is also one of the most entertaining popular history books published in recent years.” —Dan
... Read more
Conquest And Collapse: The Story Of French Indochina

by Vu Manh Dung ...

Three ancient kingdoms—Vietnamese, Khmer, and Lao—had spent centuries defining themselves against powerful neighbors and each other long before any European ship appeared on the horizon. France arrived late to the imperial scramble, driven less by grand strategy than by a mix of missionary zeal, commercial ambition, and rivalry with Britain. The colony they built was an improvisation, stitched ... Read more

$12.31 CAD or Free with Kobo Plus

Three ancient kingdoms—Vietnamese, Khmer, and Lao—had spent centuries defining themselves against powerful neighbors and each other long before any European ship appeared on the horizon. France arrived late to the imperial scramble, driven less by grand strategy than by a mix of missionary zeal, commercial ambition, and rivalry with Britain. The colony they built was an improvisation, stitched
... Read more
The Fall of Toulon

The Royal Navy and the Royalist Last Stand Against the French Revolution

by Bernard Ireland ...

The tragic story of the last Royalist attempt to overthrow the French revolutionIn the summer of 1793 French Royalists surrendered the great naval base at Toulon to the British, intending this to be the springboard for a full-scale counter-revolution. A multi-national taskforce led by the British, and including Spanish, Austrian and Italian forces, landed in the city.But the Royalists' hopes were ... Read more

$10.99 CAD

The tragic story of the last Royalist attempt to overthrow the French revolutionIn the summer of 1793 French Royalists surrendered the great naval base at Toulon to the British, intending this to be the springboard for a full-scale counter-revolution. A multi-national taskforce led by the British, and including Spanish, Austrian and Italian forces, landed in the city.But the Royalists' hopes were
... Read more
France

A Modern History from the Revolution to the War with Terror

by Jonathan Fenby ...

"Quelle histoire! . . . This book is a feast of tidbits about French history . . . the presentation [is] jazzed up with sidebars and timelines." — The New York Times Book ReviewWith the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815, the next two centuries for France would be tumultuous. Critically acclaimed historian and political commentator Jonathan Fenby provides an expert ... Read more

$15.83 CAD

"Quelle histoire! . . . This book is a feast of tidbits about French history . . . the presentation [is] jazzed up with sidebars and timelines." — The New York Times Book ReviewWith the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815, the next two centuries for France would be tumultuous. Critically acclaimed historian and political commentator Jonathan Fenby provides an expert
... Read more
Pure

From the Booker shortlisted author of The Land in Winter

by Andrew Miller ...

⭐ Out now: The Land in Winter, shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2025 ⭐ Pure: an enthralling tale of an extraordinary year in pre-revolutionary Paris Winner of the Costa Book of the Year Award'Irresistibly compelling' Sunday Telegraph'Dazzling' Guardian'A work of beauty' The TimesDeep in the heart of Paris, its oldest cemetery is, by 1785, overflowing, tainting... ... Read more

$7.99 CAD

⭐ Out now: The Land in Winter, shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2025 ⭐ Pure: an enthralling tale of an extraordinary year in pre-revolutionary Paris Winner of the Costa Book of the Year Award'Irresistibly compelling' Sunday Telegraph'Dazzling' Guardian'A work of beauty' The TimesDeep in the heart of Paris, its oldest cemetery is, by 1785, overflowing, tainting...
... Read more
Charles Worth, the Englishman Who Invented Parisian Haute Couture

... with the invaluable help of his French wife Marie and the Empress Eugénie

by Stephen Clarke ...

Even the French acknowledge this English designer, Charles Worth (1825-95) as the founder of French haute couture. This new biography by the author of 1000 Years of Annoying the French tells for the first time the full story of Worth's often-underestimated wife Marie, who was his muse, chief saleswoman and the first-ever full-time fashion model.Writing with the help of the Worth family, Stephen ... Read more

$7.82 CAD

Even the French acknowledge this English designer, Charles Worth (1825-95) as the founder of French haute couture. This new biography by the author of 1000 Years of Annoying the French tells for the first time the full story of Worth's often-underestimated wife Marie, who was his muse, chief saleswoman and the first-ever full-time fashion model.Writing with the help of the Worth family, Stephen
... Read more
Ravaillac, l'assassin d'Henri IV

by Jean-François Bège ...

Series series Référence
Le 14 mai 1610, le couteau de Ravaillac emporte la vie du roi le plus populaire de l’histoire de France. Treize jours plus tard, l’assassin est écartelé en place de Grève. Il y a eu enquête, torture minutieuse et procès. Mais la rapidité de la procédure laisse le champ libre à toutes les supputations.Ce régicide était-il le geste d’un exalté mystique mû par sa propre folie ou l’acte d’un maniaque ... Read more

$18.99 CAD

Le 14 mai 1610, le couteau de Ravaillac emporte la vie du roi le plus populaire de l’histoire de France. Treize jours plus tard, l’assassin est écartelé en place de Grève. Il y a eu enquête, torture minutieuse et procès. Mais la rapidité de la procédure laisse le champ libre à toutes les supputations.Ce régicide était-il le geste d’un exalté mystique mû par sa propre folie ou l’acte d’un maniaque
... Read more
A Vast Horizon

Artists and Lovers, Freedom and War

by Anna Thomasson ...

Longlisted for the American Library in Paris book award 2026A Shortlist 'Must Read' non-fiction bookA glorious fusion of history and art, A Vast Horizon tells the story of Pablo Picasso and his free-spirited friends, including Lee Miller and Man Ray, in the tumultuous years around the Second World War.'Inspired' - The New York Times'Excellent and revealing' - Antony Penrose, Lee Mill... ... Read more

$22.31 CAD

Longlisted for the American Library in Paris book award 2026A Shortlist 'Must Read' non-fiction bookA glorious fusion of history and art, A Vast Horizon tells the story of Pablo Picasso and his free-spirited friends, including Lee Miller and Man Ray, in the tumultuous years around the Second World War.'Inspired' - The New York Times'Excellent and revealing' - Antony Penrose, Lee Mill...
... Read more
The Burgundians

A Vanished Empire

by Bart Van Loo ...

Translated by Nancy Forest-Flier ...

A masterful history of the great dynasty of the Netherlands' Middle Ages.'A sumptuous feast of a book' The Times, Books of the Year'Thrillingly colourful and entertaining' Sunday Times'A thrilling narrative of the brutal dazzlingly rich wildly ambitious duchy' Simon Sebag Montefiore5 stars! Daily Telegraph'A masterpiece' De Morgen</... ... Read more

$14.39 CAD

A masterful history of the great dynasty of the Netherlands' Middle Ages.'A sumptuous feast of a book' The Times, Books of the Year'Thrillingly colourful and entertaining' Sunday Times'A thrilling narrative of the brutal dazzlingly rich wildly ambitious duchy' Simon Sebag Montefiore5 stars! Daily Telegraph'A masterpiece' De Morgen</...
... Read more
Hemingway

The Paris Years

by Michael Reynolds ...

"Excellent…Reynolds is as good on the Paris writing as he is on the Paris life." —Times Literary SupplementThe 1920s in Paris are the pivotal years in Hemingway's apprenticeship as a writer, whether he was sitting in cafes or at the feet of Gertrude Stein. These are the heady times of the Nick Adams short stories, Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, and the writing of The Sun Also Rises. These are also ... Read more

$19.52 CAD

"Excellent…Reynolds is as good on the Paris writing as he is on the Paris life." —Times Literary SupplementThe 1920s in Paris are the pivotal years in Hemingway's apprenticeship as a writer, whether he was sitting in cafes or at the feet of Gertrude Stein. These are the heady times of the Nick Adams short stories, Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, and the writing of The Sun Also Rises. These are also
... Read more
The Last Emperor of Mexico

The Dramatic Story of the Habsburg Archduke Who Created a Kingdom in the New World

by Edward Shawcross ...

The “superbly entertaining and well‑researched” (Financial Times) history of Maximilian and Carlota, the European aristocrats who stumbled into power in Mexico—and faced bloody consequences.In the 1860s, Napoleon III, intent on curbing the rise of American imperialism, persuaded a young Austrian archduke and a Belgian princess to leave Europe and become the emperor and empress of Mexico. They and ... Read more

$20.99 CAD

The “superbly entertaining and well‑researched” (Financial Times) history of Maximilian and Carlota, the European aristocrats who stumbled into power in Mexico—and faced bloody consequences.In the 1860s, Napoleon III, intent on curbing the rise of American imperialism, persuaded a young Austrian archduke and a Belgian princess to leave Europe and become the emperor and empress of Mexico. They and
... Read more
Papillon

by Henri Charriere ...

“A modern classic of courage and excitement.” —The New Yorker • The source for the iconic prison-escape film starring Steve McQueenHenri Charrière, nicknamed "Papillon," for the butterfly tattoo on his chest, was wrongfully convicted in Paris in 1931 of a murder he did not commit. Sentenced to life imprisonment in the brutal French Guiana penal colony, he became obsessed with one goal: escape. ... Read more

$11.99 CAD

“A modern classic of courage and excitement.” —The New Yorker • The source for the iconic prison-escape film starring Steve McQueenHenri Charrière, nicknamed "Papillon," for the butterfly tattoo on his chest, was wrongfully convicted in Paris in 1931 of a murder he did not commit. Sentenced to life imprisonment in the brutal French Guiana penal colony, he became obsessed with one goal: escape.
... Read more
Blood Royal

A True Tale of Crime and Detection in Medieval Paris

by Eric Jager ...

A riveting true story of royal murder and detection in 15th-century Paris, by the New York Times– bestselling author of The Last Duel ."Jager's book skillfully proves that a well-told work of history may resemble nothing so much as a detective story punctuated with footnotes." —David Lehman, author of The Perfect MurderOn a chil... ... Read more

$2.69 CAD

A riveting true story of royal murder and detection in 15th-century Paris, by the New York Times– bestselling author of The Last Duel ."Jager's book skillfully proves that a well-told work of history may resemble nothing so much as a detective story punctuated with footnotes." —David Lehman, author of The Perfect MurderOn a chil...
... Read more
Verdun

The Longest Battle of the Great War

by Paul Jankowski ...

At seven o'clock in the morning on February 21, 1916, the ground in northern France began to shake. For the next ten hours, twelve hundred German guns showered shells on a salient in French lines. The massive weight of explosives collapsed dugouts, obliterated trenches, severed communication wires, and drove men mad. As the barrage lifted, German troops moved forward, darting from shell crater to ... Read more

$15.83 CAD

At seven o'clock in the morning on February 21, 1916, the ground in northern France began to shake. For the next ten hours, twelve hundred German guns showered shells on a salient in French lines. The massive weight of explosives collapsed dugouts, obliterated trenches, severed communication wires, and drove men mad. As the barrage lifted, German troops moved forward, darting from shell crater to
... Read more
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc

by Mark Twain ...

The Sieur Louis de Conte, a fictional character invented by Mark Twain, tells the story of Joan of Arc, Louis' childhood friend and an actual figure in history, who fights for French independence from the English in the 15th century. Louis accompanies Joan as her secretary through the battles and witnesses her trial and execution at the hands of the English.Said to be one of his favourite works, ... Read more

$1.99 CAD or Free with Kobo Plus

The Sieur Louis de Conte, a fictional character invented by Mark Twain, tells the story of Joan of Arc, Louis' childhood friend and an actual figure in history, who fights for French independence from the English in the 15th century. Louis accompanies Joan as her secretary through the battles and witnesses her trial and execution at the hands of the English.Said to be one of his favourite works,
... Read more
The Children of La Hille

Eluding Nazi Capture during World War II

by Walter W. Reed, Figure Foundation ...

Series series Modern Jewish History
Following the horrors of Kristallnacht in November of 1938, frightened parents were forced to find refuge for their children, far from the escalating anti-Jewish violence. To that end, a courageous group of Belgian women organized a desperate and highly dangerous rescue mission to usher nearly 1,000 children out of Germany and Austria. Of these children, ninety-three were placed on a freight train ... Read more

$25.19 CAD or Free with Kobo Plus

Following the horrors of Kristallnacht in November of 1938, frightened parents were forced to find refuge for their children, far from the escalating anti-Jewish violence. To that end, a courageous group of Belgian women organized a desperate and highly dangerous rescue mission to usher nearly 1,000 children out of Germany and Austria. Of these children, ninety-three were placed on a freight train
... Read more
A Cool and Lonely Courage

The Untold Story of Sister Spies in Occupied France

by Susan Ottaway ...

The incredible true story of British special agents Eileen and Jacqueline Nearne, sisters who risked everything to fight for freedom during the Second World War.When elderly recluse Eileen Nearne died, few suspected that the quiet little old lady was a decorated WWII war hero. Volunteering to serve for British intelligence at age 21, Eileen was posted to Nazi-occupied France to send encoded ... Read more

$17.99 CAD

The incredible true story of British special agents Eileen and Jacqueline Nearne, sisters who risked everything to fight for freedom during the Second World War.When elderly recluse Eileen Nearne died, few suspected that the quiet little old lady was a decorated WWII war hero. Volunteering to serve for British intelligence at age 21, Eileen was posted to Nazi-occupied France to send encoded
... Read more
Waterloo

Napoleon's Last Gamble

by Andrew Roberts ...

Part of the ‘Making History Series’ – Waterloo is an exciting retelling of one of the moments that shook the world – Waterloo, one of the truly decisive battles of history.The illustrious ‘Making History Series’, edited by Lisa Jardine and Amanda Foreman, explores an eclectic mix of history's tipping points.In ‘Waterloo’, Roberts provides not only a fizzing account of one of the most significant ... Read more

$11.99 CAD

Part of the ‘Making History Series’ – Waterloo is an exciting retelling of one of the moments that shook the world – Waterloo, one of the truly decisive battles of history.The illustrious ‘Making History Series’, edited by Lisa Jardine and Amanda Foreman, explores an eclectic mix of history's tipping points.In ‘Waterloo’, Roberts provides not only a fizzing account of one of the most significant
... Read more
The Diplomacy of the Great War (Illustrated Edition)

by Arthur Bullard ...

Bullards The Diplomacy of the Great War is a fascinating chronology of the political events that led to World War I. The text starts at the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, and chronicles the events until the outbreak of war. This edition includes a Table of Contents and pictures of battle scenes from World War I. ... Read more

$2.20 CAD

Bullards The Diplomacy of the Great War is a fascinating chronology of the political events that led to World War I. The text starts at the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, and chronicles the events until the outbreak of war. This edition includes a Table of Contents and pictures of battle scenes from World War I.
... Read more
The Writings of Robespierre

by Maximillien Robespierre ...

Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (6 May 1758 28 July 1794) is one of the best-known and most influential figures of the French Revolution. He largely dominated the Committee of Public Safety and was instrumental in the period of the Revolution commonly known as the Reign of Terror, which ended with his arrest and execution in 1794. Robespierre was influenced by 18th-century ... Read more

$1.10 CAD

Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (6 May 1758 28 July 1794) is one of the best-known and most influential figures of the French Revolution. He largely dominated the Committee of Public Safety and was instrumental in the period of the Revolution commonly known as the Reign of Terror, which ended with his arrest and execution in 1794. Robespierre was influenced by 18th-century
... Read more
The French Revolution

A History

by Thomas Carlyle ...

Series series Modern Library Classics
The book that established Thomas Carlyle’s reputation when first published in 1837, this spectacular historical masterpiece has since been accepted as the standard work on the subject. It combines a shrewd insight into character, a vivid realization of the picturesque, and a singular ability to bring the past to blazing life, making it a reading experience as thrilling as any novel. As John D. ... Read more

Was $16.99 CAD Now $8.99 CAD

The book that established Thomas Carlyle’s reputation when first published in 1837, this spectacular historical masterpiece has since been accepted as the standard work on the subject. It combines a shrewd insight into character, a vivid realization of the picturesque, and a singular ability to bring the past to blazing life, making it a reading experience as thrilling as any novel. As John D.
... Read more

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