Hello,
You can find here my suggestions of FPW books. I am currently reading Rustow, it's brilliant!
Books in french (you can download them from Gallica (French national library digital collection)) :
-Général Boulanger, L’invasion allemande Jules Rouff et Cie éd., Paris, non daté, 3 volumes.
-Dick de Lonlay , Français et Allemands histoire anecdotique de la guerre de 1870-1871, Garnier Frères éd., Paris, 1887, 6 volumes.
-Recueil des dépêches télégraphiques officielles de la guerre de 1870. (dépêches françaises).
-A. Grouard, Critique stratégique de la guerre franco-allemande, R. Chapelot éd., Paris, 1905, 3 volumes.
-L. Rousset, Histoire générale de la guerre franco-allemande (1870-1871), Montgredien et Cie éd., Paris, 1900, 6 volumes.
-Maréchal Bazaine, L’armée du Rhin., Plon, Paris, 1872.
-D’Aurelle de Paladines, La première armée de la Loire. Plon, Paris, 1872.
-Chanzy, La deuxième armée de la Loire. Plon, Paris, 1871.
-Moltke, La guerre de 1870 édition française, Le Soudier, Paris, 1891
-Moltke, Correspondance militaire., Lavauzelle, Paris, 2 volumes.
-A. Duquet, Froeschwiller. Charpentier éd., Paris, 1909.
-Michiels, Histoire de la guerre franco-prussienne. Picard-Dentu, Paris, 1872.
-Palikao, Un ministère de la guerre de 24 jours. Plon, Paris, 1871.
-W. Rustow, Études stratégiques et tactiques sur les guerres les plus récentes, T3, édition française, Dumaine, Paris, 1880.
-Souvenirs du général Jarras, chef d'état-major de l'armée du Rhin, Plon, Paris, 1891.
Trochu, L’armée française en 1867, Amyot, Paris, 1867.
Stoffel, Rapports militaires, écrits de Berlin, 1866-1870, Garnier Frères, Paris, 1871.
Comte de Rascon, L'armée de l'Allemagne du Nord, Lahure, Paris, 1880.
Général Favé, Nos revers, Dumaine, Paris, 1871.
Un officier d'état-major de l'armée du Rhin, Les causes de nos désastres, projet de réorganisation de l'armée, J. Rozez, Bruxelles, 1871.
Duc de Gramont, La France et la Prusse avant la guerre, Dentu, Paris, 1872.
Books in English :
-von Tiedemann, The siege operations in the campaign against France, 1870-71. Londres, 1877.
-von Verdy du Vernois, Studies in leading of troops. Vol. I, The Infantry Division as a part of an Army Corps, Hudson press, Kansas City, 1906.
-Wilhelm von Blume, The Operations of the German Armies in France from Sedan to the End of the War.
-Prussian Grand general staff, The Franco-German War, 1870-71, battery press.
Thanks for the heads up on the livers francais. I'll have to brush up on my parlez vous francais and read some of these.
I just finished Barry's Franco-Prussian War, vol. 1 and have gone back a few years to read Embree, Bismarck's First War before going on to vol. 2.
After that I have The Battle of Spicheren lined up.
You missed off La Débâcle by Zola
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_D%C3%A9b%C3%A2cle
On my list:
'A Day of Battle' by David Ascoli is also missed off the list, brillaint and what got me into teh war (via recommended Timecasts boys)...
'Sedan' by Douglas Fermer
'THE FALL OF PARIS the seige and the commune 1870-71' by ALISTAIR HORNE
'The Franco-Prussian War 1870-71: Campaign of Sedan Helmuth Von Moltke and the Overthrow of the Second Empire v. 1' by Quintin Barry
'The Franco-Prussian War 1870-71: After Sedan Helmuth Von Moltke and the Defeat of the Government of National Defence v. 2' by Quintin Barry
The Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871: 51 (Essential Histories) by Stephen Badsey - basic Osprey, but a good way in.
and the one that got most Franco-Prussian players interested:
Michael Howard's 'Franco-Prussian War' http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Franco-Prussian-War-Invasion-1870-1871/dp/0415266718/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1332405319&sr=8-8 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Franco-Prussian-War-Invasion-1870-1871/dp/0415266718/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1332405319&sr=8-8)
Oh yes, la débacle is an excellent novel following soldiers of the VIIth corps. As usually, Zola collected a huge documentation before to write it and it feels so real when you read it !
It also helps he was fighting with the infantry against the Hessians and Prussian Guardadvancing along the railway embankment in front of Amnéville!
Quote from: Le Manchou on 22 March 2012, 09:11:07 AM
Oh yes, la débacle is an excellent novel following soldiers of the VIIth corps. As usually, Zola collected a huge documentation before to write it and it feels so real when you read it !
It might be in the original French but the penguin translation by Tancock is SO BAD, its almost unreadable; truly awful. I made the point at a snooty Edinburgh drinks party, 'Oh', said a superior old cow (possibly the good Prof Tancock's wife), 'So you have fluent French', 'No' I replied, 'But I have fluent English'.
Col Henderson's SPICHERN, just re-released by Helion is a must, truly a must, if you're interested in this battle; the good news that his WOERTH is coming out hopefully this year. Don't forget Prof Howard's history of the FP War, nor Wawro's effort either (yes, I know, questionable in so many places but like the curate's egg, excellent in parts). Col Kane's review of the war in Alsace (1905) is worth a read - no pun intended, as is the late Prof Holmes The Road to Sedan, a masterly expose of the French military structure 1859 - 1870.