I recently received an email from a lovely follower who wanted to know of books that focus on King Louis XIV of France, otherwise known as the Sun King and so I decided to do another So, you wanna read about feature for all of you who would like to know more about this dynamic and intriguing monarch.
To give a little background on Louis XIV, he is one of the longest and most successful reigning monarchs in history. During his 72 year ruling of France he brought culture and art to the country, built the magnificent Palace of Versailles and ruled with an absolute right. Louis was also known for his charm and good looks and with his two marriages and bevy of spirited mistresses, Louis XIV is most definitely a fascinating historical figure to read about.
Here below are both historical fiction and history/non-fiction titles of books on Louis XIV.
Titles with asterisks are books I've read and recommend...
Historical Fiction
Before Versailles: A Novel of Louis XIV
by Karleen Koen (release date: June 28, 2011)*
Mistress of the Sun
by Sandra Gulland*
Louise de la Vallière
by Alexandre Dumas
The Courtier's Secret
by Donna Russo Morin
Memoirs of a Dwarf: At the Sun King's Court
by Paul Weidner
The Oracle Glass
by Judith Merkle Riley
Emilie's Voice
by Susanne Dunlap
In the Shadow of the Sun King
(Darkness to Light Series, Book 1) by Golden Keyes Parsons (Christian HF)
The Man in the Iron Mask
by Alexandre Dumas
The French Blue
by Richard Wise
The Glassblower of Murano
by Marina Fiorato
All the King's Ladies
by Janice Law
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King Louis XIV and Family |
History/Non-Fiction
Love and Louis XIV: Women in the Life of the Sun King
by Antonia Fraser
The Secret Wife of Louis XIV: Françoise d'Aubigné, Madame de Mainteno
by Veronica Buckley
The Affair of the Poisons: Murder, Infanticide, and Satanism at the Court of Louis XIV
by Anne Somerset
The Man Who Outshone the Sun King: A Life of Gleaming Opulence and Wretched Reversal in the Reign of Louis XIV
by Charles Drazin
The Sun King
by Nancy Mitford
Louis XIV
by John B. Wolf
The Splendid Century: Life in the France of Louis XIV
by W.H. Lewis
Memoirs of Louis XIV and His Court and of the Regency
by Duchesse d'Orleans
The Fabrication of Louis XIV
by Peter Burke
Louis XIV
by Anthony Levi
Louis XIV and Absolutism
by William Beik
The Wars of Louis XIV 1667-1714
by John A. Lynn
Louis XIV
(Routledge Historical Biographies) by Richard Wilkinson
Louis XIV and Twenty Million Frenchmen
by Pierre Goubert
Louis XIV
by Ian Dunlop
The Triumph of Pleasure: Louis XIV and the Politics of Spectacle
by Georgia J. Cowart
A Lust for Virtue: Louis XIV's Attack on Sin in Seventeenth-Century France
by Philip F. Riley
Europe in the Age of Louis XIV
by Ragnhild Hatton
Louis XIV and the Parlements: The Assertion of Royal Authority
by John J. Hurt
Fanfare for the Sun King
by Pamela Cowen
Athenais: The Life of Louis XIV's Mistress, the Real Queen Of France
by Lisa Hamilton
Gardener to the King : A Novel
by Frederic Richaud
If you've read any of the books mentioned here and can give a recommendation or I left any titles out please let us know in the comments section below.

Loved this -- lots of new books to look for. Anything Sandra Gulland writes is gold.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this King!! Thanks for this extensive list. Please add to your list my very favourite as well by Vincent Cronin:)
ReplyDeleteI just purchased Love and Louis XIV: Women in the Life of the Sun King by Antonia Fraser a few weeks ago! Can't wait to devour it :)
ReplyDeleteI'd add the HF The Sun King Rises by
ReplyDeleteYves Jego & Denis Lepee.
What an extensive list of books. Makes a good list to work from.
ReplyDelete