Franco-Prussian War - Book Suggetions For Friend

[Adam L]

A friend of mine is looking for a book about the Franco-Prussian War and I am hoping someone can give me a few suggestions. This is spare time reading for him so he is looking for something that is well written and preferably not dry. I believe he is particularly interested in theories pertaining to how it effected/caused WWI.

Thanks,
Adam L

[Jedburgh]

A friend of mine is looking for a book about the Franco-Prussian War and I am hoping someone can give me a few suggestions. This is spare time reading for him so he is looking for something that is well written and preferably not dry. I believe he is particularly interested in theories pertaining to how it effected/caused WWI.

The Fall of Paris: The Siege and the Commune, 1870-71, by Alistair Horne

The Franco-Prussian War: The German Invasion of France, 1870-1871, by Michael Howard

Both are excellent reads, and both describe impacts and developments that led into/influenced WWI. To put the difference very simply, although they are both classics of military history, Horne's book takes a broader view and covers a great deal of the political aspects as well as the military, while Howard's book has a much tighter focus on the military.

[Adam L]

Thanks for the books!

Adam L

[Steve Blair]

Horne is also always quite readable. His book on Verdun is a masterpiece. Howard's good as well, but for a "light" read (as in flowing style) I tend to prefer Horne.

Just my (depreciated) $.02.

[Eden]

Geoffrey Wawro's The Franco-Prussian War is the best and latest (2003 I think) work on the war.

[Adam L]

I'll pass your suggestions and comments on to my friend. Thanks for all the help!

Adam L

[Umar Al-Mokhtār]

Bismarck by Edward Crankshaw for politics.

The First Reich: Inside the German Army During the War With France 1870-71 by David Stone is an excellent look at the German forces.

Day of Battle: Mars-La-Tour by David Ascoli

For the events leading up to the war:
The Wars of German Unification by Dennis Showalter
The Origins of the Wars of German Unification by William Carr

A Genius for War by Trevor Dupuy is agood overview of the German General Staff.

[davidbfpo]

Long time since I read on this war, using Michael Howard's book, but you need a good clear map of France, preferably from the period or a map with the main towns on. France is a large place and most books have puny maps.

davidbfpo

[Umar Al-Mokhtār]

maps are key to following the action. Wawro's book has pretty good maps. I haven't seen the 2001 update to Howard's book but hopefully they improved the maps. If you can find a copy of Chandler's Atlas of Military Strategy it has some useful campaign maps.