Perrin London Book Fair 2015 catalogue

PERRIN

Salon du livre de Paris LONDON BOOK FAIR

2015

RIGHTS Rebecca BYERS rebecca.byers@edi8.fr Editions PERRIN an Edi8 imprint 12, Avenue d’Italie 75013 Paris tel : +33 (0)1 44 16 08 90

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19/03/15 09:56

2015 Salon du Livre de Paris London Book Fair

CONTENTS

GENERAL HISTORY          

………………. Pierre et Christian Pahlavi The Ayatollahs Strike Back……………………………………………………………. …..……………………. Zakya Daoud The Arab Revolution …………………………………………………………...………. ………………………….Jean Verdon Daily Life in the Middle Ages………………………………………………………….. ……………….Jean-François Solnon The Taste of Kings……………………………………………………………………… ...………. Jean-Christian Petitfils (dir.)

The Age of Louis XIV…………….…………………………………………………….. ………………Jean-François Solnon Louis XIV, Truths and Legends……………………………………………………….. ……………….Edmond Dziembowski The Seven Years’ War…………………………………………………………………... ………………..………. Alain Gouttman The Great Defeat………………………………………………………………..………..

A History of Famous Animals………………………………………….…………….………………..Marie-Hélène Baylac ………………………..Henry Bogdan A History of the Three Reichs…………………………………………………………

HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR    

Regulated Hell….…………………………………………………………………..….…  ……………………………………….. Nicolas Bertrand Leclerc – Masters of War………………………………………………………………  …………….Jean-Christophe Notin The Second World War…………………………………………………………….….  …………………………Claude Quétel

p.18

Montesquieu …………………….………………….….…..……………………………  ……………………………… Alain Juppé François 1 …………………….………………….….…………………………………  ………………………… Didier Le Fur er

Marc Antony………………………….…………………………………………………..  ………………………Pierre Renucci Mahaut d’Artois ………..………………………………………………………………  ………………………………….. Christelle Loubet Vincent de Paul………………………………………………………………………….  …………….Marie-Joëlle Guillaume Machiavelli …………………………………………………………………….………….  …………………...……………….. Jean-Yves Boriaud Victor-Emmanuel II……………………………………………………………………..  ……………………Frédéric Le Moal Edvard Benes ……………………………………………………………………………  ………………………………….. Antoine Mares

ALBUMS 

p.13

Hitler against Berlin……..………..…………………….………………………….….  ………………… Pierre Vallaud, Mathilde Aycard

BIOGRAPHIES        

p.3

p.26

Hitler’s last 100 days ……………………………………………………………..……  …………………...……………….. Jean Lopez

1

NAPOLEONIC ERA   

The Fall of Napoléon…………………………………………………………………….  ……………………Dominique de Villepin Murat………………………………………………………………………………………..  ……………………………………….. Vincent Haegele Waterloo……………………………………………………………………………………  …………………………Thierry Lentz

BACKLIST HIGHLIGHTS     

p.27

p.30

Letters from the Wehrmacht………..………………….………………………..….….  ……..………………… Marie Moutier Of Blood and Sceptre ….…………………………………………………………….…  ……………………………………….. Jean des Cars The Century of Blood…………………………………………………………….…….  …………………………E. Hecht, P. Servent Criminals………………………………………………………………………….………  …………….P. di Falco, Y. Stavridès A History of Terrorism………………………………………………………..…………  ……………………….Gilles Ferragu

2

General History

The Ayatollahs Strike Back A History of the Iranian Revolution

Christian Pahlavi, Pierre Pahlavi Simultaneously witnesses and historians, Christian and Pierre Pahlavi, father and son, have given us the key to understanding this major revolution, a crucial event in contemporary global history.

The true story of the “green” revolution that changed the world.

9 April 2015 576 pp.

Adopted son of Ali Reza Pahlavi, brother of the last Shah of Iran, Christian Joachim Pahlavi has a degree from the Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques (national foundation of political sciences) where he presented a thesis in 1975 on the White Revolution, under the direction of Hélène Carrère d’Encausse. He has also written a series of articles for the journal Politique Internationale and his memoirs, Les Grains du Sablier, Thaddée, 2011 (Grains of the Hourglass).

Pierre Pahlavi, who holds a PhD in International Relations, is associate professor and deputy director for research at the Department of Defence Studies of the Canadian Forces College in Toronto, where he specializes in influence strategies, Iran’s foreign policy, institutional analysis and irregular warfare. He writes articles for such publications as Défense nationale, Small Arms & Insurgencies, Journal of Strategic Studies and Terrorism and Political Violence.

The result of thirty years of study and reflection, this extraordinary book provides an animated account of the fall of the last Persian emperor and a dissection of what caused his collapse. At the same time, the authors, father and son, members of the imperial family and the great Iranian diaspora, give us their analysis of the Islamic Revolution. The book is a joint effort, using notes and information gathered in the heat of the action by Christian Pahlavi, who was a first-hand witness of the revolutionary process. It restores the complete and accurate chronology of the events (including the downfall and death of the Shah, the rise of Khomeini, the Islamic reign of terror and the American hostage crisis) that forged the destiny of Iran from 1977 to 1979. It offers an independent view of one of the major historical upheavals of the last century.

The authors also present vivid portraits of key Iranian and international figures who played a part in the drama. Fast-paced, the book is a real-life espionage thriller, complete with the CIA’s direct involvement in the plot.

3

General History

The Arab Revolution Hope or illusion? 1798-2014 Zakya Daoud

Why have reformers failed in the Arab world? The book offers explanations that diagnose the current ills of the Muslim world.

19 March 2015 448 pp.

Zakya Daoud, journalist and writer, has written a biography of Hannibal for Perrin, after other political biographies: - Ferhat Abbas, DenoĂŤl, 1995 (with Benjamin Stora) - Mehdi Ben Barka, Michalon, 2000 (with Maati Monjib) - Abdelkrim Khattabi, the hero of the Rif War, Seguier, 1999.

- Casablanca in movement, Autrement, 2005.

Crossroads between Europe, Africa and Asia, the Muslim world had its moment of glory in conquest and then in trade. It acquired the certainty its civilization and religion were superior.

Certainty that began to collapse in the 17th century and vanished when Bonaparte landed in Egypt in 1798 and France conquered Algeria in 1830.

Awareness that the Muslim world had fallen behind came as a shock.

Intellectuals, religious thinkers, journalists and politicians have campaigned for change in the political and education systems to gain access to science and technology, which, they point out, are the main sources of European progress. Sadly, all the reforms ever launched have failed, beginning in the Ottoman Empire: they disrupted societies without achieving the desired changes. Modernizing armies does not reduce military defeats, but leads to revolts, debt and increased dependence. Instead of prosperity and development, new administrations brought forth corrupt bureaucracies. The failures of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in Turkey, Habib Bourguiba in Tunisia and Jamal Nasser in Egypt echo the recent Arab spring, latest incarnation of this impossible reform.

Why did the reformers fail? The book offers explanations that diagnose the current ills of the Muslim world. Wanting to restore original Islam in its doctrinal purity, they did not consider Islam in its historical context as a civilization that contained a mosaic of multiple populations. Wanting to copy the Enlightenment, they poorly understood the internal logic of the theory of the state in the West. Jostled by constant upheaval, they have not had time to lay the foundation for reform. The reformers, who dreamed of a reform from above and a government of the elite, have failed finally to conquer public opinion.

4

General History

Daily Life in the Middle Ages Jean Verdon An overview of how men and women lived in the Middle Ages, from the barbarian invasions to the Renaissance. After a series of books on specific topics in the Middle Ages (leisure, the night, pleasure, love, superstition, etc.), Jean Verdon, university professor emeritus, twice the winner of an Académie française award, provides us with a particularly astute portrayal of all aspects of daily life. A lively and accessible synthesis.

23 April 2015 384 pp.

Professor emeritus at the Limoges University, Jean Verdon is one of the best specialist of the medieval History. He published at Perrin, in 1991 and 2003, Les Françaises pendant la Guerre de Cent ans (Frenchwomen in the Hundred Years War) and Boire au MoyenAge (To Drink in the Middle Ages), which both won the Académie française awards.

The uniqueness of this period is revealed through the significant moments of everyday life. Education was simultaneously religious, practical and, for some, intellectual: the lives of students are described in amusing anecdotes.

People did not marry for love in those days, yet sexuality played an important role in the marriage relationship, and certain texts, which were well-known in cultivated milieus, even attest to an art of eroticism.

Our image of the medieval world tends to be rather limited. Despite the “misfortunes of the times”, people knew how to have fun and to enjoy moments of leisure more frequently than is usually imagined. Although tourism as practiced today did not exist, people travelled extensively during the Middle Ages and often for much longer, sometimes for months or even years. Yet life was short, though not as short as we might think. The high mortality at birth and in the first years of life explains the fact that relatively elderly people were not uncommon, and they sometimes played a prominent role. A human being was considered but a pilgrim on this earth, and to die well was essential. Which was why, unlike today, sudden death was feared above all: a person could be taken before they had cleared their conscience.

5

General History

The Taste of Kings The Man behind the Monarch Jean-François Solnon A new look at the kings of France, their private passions and personal tastes

5 February 2015 352 pp.

The kings of France are not only politicians or warlords.

They also have private passions, personal tastes, individual interests. The love of monarchs for the arts, letters and sciences, for books and gastronomy, as well as their practice of painting, music or dance reveal their personalities better than their public lives. This imaginative book, penned in jubilant style, takes us on a tour of the appetites and inclinations of royalty, from Francis I to Napoleon III. It is full of surprises.

We meet Louis XIV the performer, guitarist and dancer. We come across the forbidding Louis XIII composing ballets, Louis XVI more excited about travel than making locks, Napoleon as a connoisseur of Italian music and classical theater, and Napoleon III as a fan of technology while also the father of modern archeology For the first time, the author reveals the hobbies of kings and emperors, entering their private lives to expose their secret predilections. These portraits, stripped of conventional, intimidating pomp, come alive with truth and humanity.

A wonderful history book sure to become a classic.

Known to the general public for his books on Ancien Régime (pre-revolutionary) France, JeanFrançois Solnon is a Doctor of Letters and a university professor of history. Several of his books have been bestsellers, notably La Cour de France, Fayard, 1987, Perrin – Tempus, 2014 (The court of France), lauded by the French Academy. Perrin has published his Henry III in 2007, Catherine de Medicis in 2003, Histoire de Versailles (History of Versailles) in 2003, Le Turban et la Stambouline (The Turban and the Stambouline) in 2009 and Les Couples royaux dans l’histoire ( Royal couples in history) in 2012.

6

General History

The Age of Louis XIV Editor: Jean-Christian Petitfils

For the 300th anniversary of the death of Louis XIV, a unique compilation, designed and directed by the great king’s greatest biographer.

30 April 2015 488 pp.

It was Voltaire who in 1751 publicly proposed the term “Age of Louis XIV”. It has come to denote what was surely the longest golden period in the history of France, from 1643 to 1715. Its radiance was certainly not entirely free of shadows, and the assessment here makes no secret of the horrors of the time, alongside the splendor of the king’s reign. And, far from being immobile, this glorious age was a period of maturation and the transformation of all facets of society. The book, divided into seven chapters, focuses not only on the royal personage but also on the kingdom’s government and economy, on religion and war, the king's entourage as well as foreign affairs and popular movements, and last but not least, arts and letters.

To create this panorama, Jean-Christian Petitfils has enlisted twenty renowned historians, all distinguished by the depth of their knowledge and their fine writing style. They include L. Bély, Y.-M. Bercé, J.-M. Constant, J. Cornette, B. Cottret, M. Da Vinha, A. Maral, Th. Sarmant, J.-F. Solnon ‒ and J.C. Petitfils himself.

The book is intended and written for a wide public. The contributions, straightforward and witty, are accompanied by a short bibliography.

Expert on France under its pre-revolution Ancien Régime, Jean-Christian Petitfils wrote the biographies of the last four Bourbons of the old monarchy between 2002 and 2014, for publication

by Perrin. The most recent on Louis XV is recognized as exceptional. His book on Louis XIV, published in 1995 by Fayard, winner of the French Academy’s Grand Prix, has been repeatedly reissued in various forms.

7

General History

Louis XIV Truths and Legends Jean François Solnon

Far from the usual preconception about the Sun King, a lively and honest portrait of Louis XIV.

4 June 2015 180 pp.

We think we know all about Louis XIV, the greatest of all the kings of France. Yet the life and reign of the Sun King are obscured by a cloud of falsehoods and preconceptions that pass for irrevocable truths.

For example, he never said “L’Etat c’ est moi” (I am the State), he did not ruin France by building Versailles, and he was not a tyrant who ruled an absolutist state.

In forty chapters, written in lively style, JeanFrançois Solnon strips away the lies and restores often surprising truths. What emerges is a public and private portrait of the Great King as informative as it is enjoyable to read.

Author: Known to the general public for his books on France under the Old Regime, JeanFrançois Solnon is a university professor with doctorates in history and letters. Several of his books have been bestsellers, including La Cour de France (the court of France), which won an award from the French Academy. For Perrin, he has written Henri III, Catherine de Medicis, a History of Versailles (Tempus), Le Turban and la Stambouline, Les couples royaux dans l’ histoire (royal couples in history), and most recently, Le gout des rois (The taste of kings).

8

General History

The Seven Years’ War Edmond DZIEMBOWSKI The long-awaited major synthesis on the “First World War”, which marked the beginning of France’s decline and established England as a world power.

22 January 2015 682 pp.

Edmond Dziembowski is Professor of Modern History at the University of Franche-Comté (Besançon). He directs the Laboratoire des Sciences Historiques (Historical Sciences Laboratory). His previous books include: -La France face à la puissance anglaise à l’époque de la guerre de Sept Ans, Voltaire Foundation, 1998 (France versus British power at the time of the Seven Years’ War) -Les Pitt. L’Angleterre face à la France, 1709-1806, Perrin, 2006 (The Pitts. England against France).

Dedicated to the most emblematic conflict of FrenchBritish rivalry in the 18th century, the book combines military and diplomatic history with analysis of the political culture of the belligerent powers. The Seven Years' War, far from limiting its effect to overturning the European order and bolstering British maritime and colonial dominance, also caused major political upheavals in France, Great Britain and the American colonies After reviewing the issues and characteristics of a conflict that was born in America and then spread to Europe and the rest of the world, the study addresses the first months of the war. The book describes the political strategy of William Pitt, main proponent of the war in the British Cabinet, and that of his rival, the Duke of Choiseul. The study ends with a look at the upheavals in power relations and the war’s impact on the views and policies of the fighting powers. It explores one hitherto neglected aspect of the war: the propaganda efforts conducted by France, Prussia and Great Britain.

Dziembowski challenges the traditional historiography that claims the Seven Years' War was met with indifference. A radically new patriotism mobilized the French, who no longer considered themselves simply the king's subjects but citizens.

The monarchy, defeated, would not recover. It was the beginning of the end for the Ancien Régime.

«This major conflagration resulted in 1763 with a geopolitical upheaval whose effects we can still feel today. The historian Edmond Dziembowski vividly depicts this event in its entirety and in all its aspects: military but also political and cultural.” LE FIGARO LITTERAIRE “Clearly Edmond Dziembowski does not lack inspiration… He offers… a synthesis of this Seven Years War that starts officially in 1756… Not just a conflict but the beginning of revolutionary times that the author shows to its full extent, with a perceptive pen. Remarkable.” LE FIGARO MAGAZINE 9

General History

The Great Defeat 1870-1871 Alain Gouttman

A lively and absorbing synthesis of the FrancoPrussian War of 1870-1871, harbinger of the First World War, which led to the fall of the Second Empire and provoked a French civil war of uncommon violence.

30 April 2015 416 pp.

Alain Gouttman, who passed away in January 2014, was a specialist on the Second Empire, with a particular interest in the military campaigns of Napoleon III on which he was a leading expert.

For Perrin, he published in 2006 La Guerre de Crimée (The Crimean War), awarded the Grand Prix de la Fondation Napoléon, and in 2011 La Guerre du Mexique (The Mexican War).

We retain numerous images of the 1870-1871 Franco-Prussian war ‒ Napoleon III at Sedan, the barricades of the Commune, the charge of the Reichshoffen cuirassiers ‒ but we know little about its reality and the issues at stake. Yet the impact on Europe of the modern era’s first Franco-German conflict was immense. One example is what happened to AlsaceLorraine, territory lost to France during this war. The French continued to contest its annexation, until the First World War. To enable us to understand this pivotal conflict, Alain Gouttman has examined it from every angle: the circumstances that led to the outbreak of the war, the development of operations until the capitulation of Sedan, Metz and Paris, the reasons for German supremacy in the struggle, the war’s impact on French and German public opinion, the Paris Commune, and so on.

The result is a comprehensive synthesis that will become a reference on the subject: both for the new light it sheds on the huge impact of the conflict on the internal French situation and for the author’s storytelling abilities.

“…the synthesis of Gouttman, which mixes diplomatic, political, social and cultural history, is very convincing: the French were too divided, from every point of view, to win. A terrible warning…”

LE FIGARO MAGAZINE

10

General History

A History of Famous Animals Marie-Hélène Baylac Marie-Hélène Baylac invites us to a new and joyful rediscovery of the animal world, through a series of portraits of some of its most illustrious representatives.

7 May 2015 384 p p .

A former student of the Ecole Normale Supérieure with a doctorate in history, Marie-Hélène Baylac has written about the French revolutionary period and the Empire. She is also interested in a transversal approach to history, as demonstrated in her last two books: Ces objets qui ont fait l’histoire (These objects that made history, First, 2013) and Dictionnaire Gourmand (A Gourmand’s dictionary, Omnibus, 2014).

Marie-Hélène Baylac has set out on the trail of animals that left their mark on history: Surus, Hannibal’s favorite elephant; the First Dog at the White House; the talking birds of Louis XI; Marengo, Napoleon's last horse at Waterloo; Babar the elephant who learns civilization from humans; Dolly the cloned sheep; Laika the dog sacrificed to the conquest of space; President François Mitterrand’s Labrador Baltique; and many more. The investigation leads the author in diverse directions, because animals are everywhere: not just at a human’s side, but also in their imagination, transformed into literary characters and agents of human values.

Through this series of surprising, moving and sometimes funny stories, in which the author displays her masterful storytelling skills, Marie-Hélène Baylac plunges us into history with a capital H: the personality and ambitions of world leaders and nations, diplomatic relations and armed conflict, the worlds of sports, science and business. Everywhere animals have played and continue to play an essential role, demonstrating that they “are indeed our brothers and sisters”.

This exciting and multidimensional text, written in a lively style, marks an important contribution to the current debate on the growing awareness of the true value of animals.

11

General History

A History of the Three Reichs

By Henry Bogdan An overview of the three Reichs that forged German history.

The concept of “Reich” is typically German, even if its origins are rooted in the Roman tradition of the imperium romanum and the Carolingian inheritance, insofar as Charlemagne’s crowning by the Pope in the year 800 was interpreted as a restoration of the Roman Empire. The combination of this double tradition, accomplished by the Papacy with the imperial coronation of Germany’s King Otto the Great in 962, took the form of the German Holy Roman Empire.

28 May 2015 480 Pages

Henry Bogdan has authored numerous books at Perrin, such as A History of Germany, A History of the Habsburg, A History of Eastern Countries and The Hohenzollern.

This First Reich lasted eight centuries, until its disappearance in 1806. As of 1438, its leader was the head of the Habsburg family. After a period of transition in which the Germanic Confederation gave the illusion that the Holy Roman Empire would rise again, the King of Prussia, Wilhelm the 1st, head of the Hohenzollern house, and his Chancellor Bismarck, brought back a new Deutsches Reich.

However, it was only an ersatz of the Holy Roman Empire – which was neither Holy nor Roman, merely German. This new Empire, rarely referred to as a “Second Empire”, is often qualified as the “Wilhelmian Reich” because its two most important leaders were Wilhelm the 1st and the 2nd.

Under the Third Reich, re-invented by Hitler, the official appellation of “Deutches Reich” became in 1939 “Großdeutsches Reich”, the Great German Reich, to take into account the annexation of Austria (1938) and BohemiaMoravia (1938-1939).

While explaining the most important events of the three Reichs, the author also analyzes the concept as a constant of German history. What are its origins? What are its lasting characteristics and variations over the course of centuries? What was its territorial evolution? After 1945, why did this notion vanish from German political vocabulary? Was it a natural disappearance, or a forced eradication?

12

History of the Second World War

Hitler Against Berlin Pierre Vallaud, Mathilde Aycard

Berlin as a victim of Hitler, or how a capital of Europe became a ghost, fatally wounded 70 years ago.

On May 2, 1945, a devastated Berlin fell to the Soviets.

All of Nazi Germany fell with it. In the eyes of the world, Berlin symbolized nothing less than the “Thousand Year Reich” desired by the Führer.

2 April 2015 350 pp.

Professor of history and editor Pierre Vallaud is a recognized expert on geostrategy (on which he has produced a series of reference atlases) and on totalitarianism (Third Reich, Stalinism). His book La guerre au XXe siècle (War in the 20th century) was published by Perrin in 2014.

Mathilde Aycard, historian and editor, co-authored the Atlas des guerres du XXe siècle, Hachette, 1990 (Atlas of 20th century wars).

With Pierre Vallaud, she wrote Allemagne, IIIe Reich, Perrin, 2008 (Germany, Third Reich).

Yet nothing predestined Germany’s largest city to play this sinister role. On the contrary, as soon as the First World War was over, Berlin distinguished itself by its singularity.

Melting pot of all the tensions of a defeated country, it engendered a political and cultural ferment that made it the vanguard of a Europe in search of modernity.

Obviously, neither Hitler nor the German far right would recognize themselves in this liberated city – depraved city, in the eyes of some – where you could rub shoulders with Thomas Mann and Marlene Dietrich, Brecht, Kandinsky, Feuchtwanger or Fritz Lang. So it was with reluctance the brand new Chancellor addressed this Berlin he loathed – and which returned his sentiment. Upon coming to power, Hitler chose violent means to impose his will: burning down the Reichstag, witch-hunts, arbitrary mass arrests, concentration camps, pogroms against Jews and Kristallnacht.

From then on, Berlin was no longer Berlin; it was a city emptied of its most emblematic figures and stripped of its daring. It would find itself thrown into total war and lose everything – its originality, its soul and finally its integrity.

This book tells the story of Berlin’s transformation until the final apocalypse. Drawing on multiple sources, it describes the grandiose and tragic fate of a city that, 25 years after the fall of the Wall, never ceases to fascinate us.

13

History of the Second World War

Regulated Hell The detention system in concentration camps Nicolas BERTRAND

Preface by Stéphane HESSEL

This exceptional book addresses the issue of law in the concentration camps. Prefaced by Stéphane Hessel, this original and innovative text is an essential contribution to the history of concentration camps.

2 January 2015 400 pp.

Since the liberation of the concentration camps, many theories have tried to explain how it was possible for human beings to participate in this hell. One major aspect of detention has been neglected until now: the existence and implementation of a coherent set of regulations, orders and circulars carefully controlling the lives of inmates. This book provides a fresh perspective on this material, hitherto overlooked or misinterpreted. Illustrated by analysis of a wide range of legal proceedings from German archives and with passages borrowed from written testimony, the book succeeds in showing how rules and procedures were applied to correspondence, disciplinary punishment and forced labor. The daily life of inmates was thus not determined arbitrarily; on the contrary, it most often conformed to rules with specific characteristics, as suggested by Hannah Arendt.

The book goes beyond this analysis by exploring the impact the pseudo-legal system had on those in charge of the camps. The rules could seem justified to them because they appeared to be legal and rational. Given the increasing “legalization” of our societies, we have an urgent need to promote a critical approach to the law and its effects.

“Another new angle of historiography is the role and use of the law by the Nazi regime. Nicolas Bertrand develops this new approach in a precise study of the norms and procedures that framed life (and death) in the concentration camps. L’ENFER REGLEMENTE treats, for the first time, this legal framework (disciplinary rules, the organization of forced labor, productivity bonuses…) and shows that the most extreme violence can blend into a centralized and hierarchical organization giving the appearance of the most banal administrative neutrality.” LE MONDE “Here is a book that one cannot accuse of exploiting unhealthy curiosity about murderous Nazi madness.

The book of a researcher, but also of a jurist – Nicolas Bertrand, Doctor of Law, teaches at Friedrich-Schiller University in Berlin – has put a finger on the difficult but important question: what were the rules that governed life and death in the Nazi concentration camps?” LE FIGARO LITTERAIRE

Nicolas Bertrand, a researcher at the University of Bourgogne/CNRS center of “Savoirs: normes et sensibilities” (Knowledge: standards and sensibilities), has a doctorate in law. For his work on the detention regime in Nazi concentration camps, he received the 2012 thesis prize from Humboldt University’s law school (Berlin). He teaches law at the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena and lives in 14 Berlin.

History of the Second World War

Leclerc Jean-Christophe Notin “Masters of War” series Far from the clichés so often repeated on the subject of the French World War II hero General Leclerc, this portrait of the military man reveals an unexpected human dimension to his character

6 October 2015 620 pages

Judging by the thirty biographies published since his death, Leclerc is probably the most frequently written about French personality of the 20th century, along with Charles de Gaulle. Jean-Christophe Notin’s thorough research has led him to discover dozens of previously unpublished documents, obtained from the general’s relatives as well as in many French, English, American and German archives that had never been consulted. Far from the usual caricature of genius, saint or visionary, Leclerc emerges as simply more of a human being.

Without denying the heroic dimension that Leclerc legitimately deserves given his exceptional destiny and premature end, it was important to put his life story, which was full of glory but also torment, in its proper context. The General’s actions in Africa are given more scope, his command of the famous 2nd Armored Division appears in all its military and political complexity, and his alleged commitment to decolonization is relativized. The uncompromising description of his often troubled relationships with the army, de Gaulle and his family completes the portrait of a man who fought not only against the enemies of France but also against his own weaknesses and contradictions.

With the same purpose of clarification, the author attempted to elucidate for the first time the circumstances of the general’s fatal airplane accident, which since 1947 has been the object of controversy. The historical narrative gives way to a real police investigation that decisively undermines the official script and raises serious questions.

A graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique, passionate about the history of World War II, JeanChristophe Notin has published several successful books with Perrin. His previous book, La Campagne d’Italie, les victoires oubliées de la France (The Italian campaign, the forgotten victories of France), received the 2003 Maréchal Foch prize of the Académie française as well as two other prestigious awards, the prix des Ecrivains combattants, and the prix Raymond Poincaré des officiers de réserve.

15

History of the Second World War

“MASTERS OF WAR” series A highly illustrated series that looks at major historical figures of the twentieth century in their role as military leaders.

The photographs and maps directly accompany the texts all written by specialists of military history.

HITLER

STALIN E François KERSAUDY

François KERSAUDY

May 2011 – 265 pp.

May 2012 – 275 pp.

Right s sold t o:  Lebanon (Jarrous)  China (Beijing Hanbook)  Cz ech Republic (Brana)

9.000 COPIES SOLD

7.000 COPIES SOLD

PATTON

VON MAN STEIN Pierre SERVEN T

Yannis KADARI

May 2011 – 240 pp.

Right s sold t o: China (Beijing Hanbook)

7.000 COPIES SOLD

MON TGOMERY Antoine CAPET May 2014 – 280 pp.

May 2013 – 280 pp.

Right s sold t o: China (Beijing Hanbook)

5.000 COPIES SOLD

MACARTHUR François Kersaud y Septem ber 2014 – 300 pp.

4.000 COPIES SOLD

16

History of the Second World War

The Second World War Claude Quétel Claude Quétel, eminent French historian and former director of the Caen Memorial, gives us the definitive book on the Second World War.

29 January 2015 576 pp.

Historian and former director of the Caen Memorial, Claude Quétel has published numerous books on the Second World War, among them L’Impardonnable Défaite (The unforgivable defeat) by Lattès, in 2010, and in paperback at Tempus – paperback, 2012.

Seventy years ago, the Battle of Berlin and the bombing of Hiroshima marked the end of the deadliest conflict in human history. Begun in September 1939 with Hitler’s invasion of Poland, the war appeared until 1941 to represent a victory for the Wehrmacht, which had revolutionized the art of combat with the Blitz, enabling it to bring France, Greece, Yugoslavia and much of the Red Army to their knees. The principal turning point came late in 1941, when the war – essentially European – became global with Pearl Harbor, while the German army stalled outside Moscow. Three more years followed of titanic clashes in which technological progress was coupled with barbarism, as evidenced by the Holocaust.

To recount this crucial five-year period of the 20th century demands not only encyclopedic knowledge of all the documentation on all fronts. It also requires the most remarkable proficiency in the art of storytelling. To date, only three English-speaking historians have successfully met the challenge: John Keegan, Liddell Hart and most recently Anthony Beevor Brilliantly merging content and form, mastering the military, diplomatic and economic issues, leaping from one front to another with dynamic style, peppering his main text with vivid portraits of key characters, Claude Quétel has hit the mark, producing a major work of history certain to become a classic.

17

Biographies

Montesquieu Alain Juppé

Written by an eminent French politician, the former Prime Minister Alain Juppé, this biographical essay sheds light on a leading luminary of the Enlightenment.

12 March 2015 288 pp.

More than 2 0 ,0 0 0 copies sold in large format!

Alain Juppé served as Prime Minister of France from 1995 to 1997 and has had several other ministerial posts since 1986. He has been the mayor of the city of Bordeaux since 2006 (and also from 1995 to 2004).

Montesquieu. His name is part of our world heritage, but his fame contrasts with our ignorance about his life (1689-1755) and the relegating of his work to relative oblivion, with the exception of “The Spirit of the Laws” (1748). Yet his life was fascinating and his work remains essential because he was the first to articulate the fundamental principles of the balance and separation of powers. A founding father of political liberalism and sociology, Montesquieu was also a skillful polemicist (“Persian Letters”, 1721) and a major historian (“Considerations on the Causes of the Greatness of the Romans and their decline”, 1734).

Alain Juppé sets out to rediscover him in this fastpaced and elegant biographical essay, underlining the modernity of Montesquieu’s thought in the light of his own political experience.

Originally published in 1999, the book has been revised and expanded with the addition of a new preface.

“Under the guise of a biography of Montesquieu, he has written an essay on justice and politics, subtle and subversive.” Christophe Barbier, L'EXPRESS.

18

Biographies

Francis I Didier Le Fur

Knightly king and model Renaissance prince for some, the first absolute monarch and a defender of religious intolerance for others, Francis I is the stuff of legends, both golden and dark. For the 500th anniversary of his accession to the throne, in January 1515, Didier Le Fur finally provides us with a complete biography.

16 April 2015 752 pp.

A recognized modernist, author of a noteworthy thesis on “Images of the kings of France during the Italian wars”, Didier Le Fur is a leading specialist on the 15th century and the Renaissance, about which he wrote La France de la Renaissance, Tallandier, 2014 (France in the Renaissance) and Marignan 1515, Perrin, 2004. A distinguished biographer, his portraits include Louis XII (Perrin, 2001), Charles VIII (Perrin, 2006) and Henri II (Tallandier, 2009). His François Ier is the culmination of 15 years of work on a key character and a pivotal period in French history.

Francis I is France’s favorite king, along with Henry IV and Louis XIV. Yet what we thought we knew about the King of France from 1515 to 1547 is largely false: it was the publicists of his day who shaped his image, and it was almost identical to the one we have of him now, notably the clichés of the chivalrous king or the king who patronized the arts.

Didier Le Fur, one of the most brilliant historians of his generation, has reopened the case without bias and with all the documentation. This colossal archival effort provides us with the first genuine biography of Francis I in thirty years.

While the high points of his reign are well-known (the coronation, the battles of Marignan and Pavia, the captivity of the king's children, the imperial election, the Field of the Cloth of Gold, the regency of Louise of Savoy, etc.), the book finally reveals their meaning. The author draws a clear conclusion: Francis was primarily a king of war, blinded by his dream of victory over Italy and his rivalry with Charles Quint. All his policies were oriented in this direction. One example among many: numerous domestic reforms are attributed to Francis. Not true. The king’s legislative activity favored laws justifying taxes to fund this bottomless pit of war.

The author has focused on the man who reigned, not on his legend. This king is certainly less heroic than we imagined, but more human, and thus more intriguing.

19

Biographies

Mark Antony Pierre Renucci A biography of a leading figure in ancient history who saved Rome from anarchy after the Ides of March and ruled the Roman East for ten years.

15 May 2015 480 pp.

Mark Antony is among the most famous Romans, yet one of the least known. Influenced by Hollywood, the public sees him only as “the husband of Cleopatra”, a sort of supporting role in a political and romantic saga starring the queen of Egypt. Richard Burton, as a depressed and alcoholic Antony, disappears behind Liz Taylor as the voluptuous and compelling Cleopatra... Those who know a bit of Roman history perceive him as a great general who missed his calling because of his dissipation and unbridled lust for women, particularly the queen of Egypt.

These two views, which in fact are not dissimilar, come straight out of enemy propaganda, namely from Octavian, the future Augustus. Propaganda that ancient historians established as official history after the victory of Octavian. Yet the reality is very different.

Antony’s adventures are part of the final phase of the Roman revolution, the latent civil war that shook Rome for nearly a century. First lieutenant of Caesar, he played a key role that allowed his boss to become the undisputed master of the Empire. After the Ides of March, he saved Rome from anarchy, then crushed the republican forces. Antony went on to rule the Roman East for ten years, associated with Octavian who was in charge of the West. With the efficient assistance of Cleopatra, head of the richest of Rome’s vassal states, he did a masterful job, advancing a new and coherent vision of the young empire that stretched from the Atlantic to the Euphrates.

This is a far cry from the lost soldier, enslaved by his passionate love for a queen who was the enemy of Rome. But Octavian plus Antony was one too many. Octavian triumphed after the battle of Actium. An exceptional statesman, Antony simply had the misfortune to come across a rival who was even better.

Pierre Renucci, a leading historian of ancient Rome, is the author of a thesis on the Emperor Julian and has published biographies of Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula (Perrin, 2011) and Claudius (Perrin, 2012). In each book, he has concentrated on meticulously deciphering the ancient sources and carefully replacing the character in the social, political, religious, and strategic context of his time.

20

Biographies

Mahaut d’Artois Christelle Loubet

The first biography of an archetypal w oman of pow er from the Middle Ages: Mahaut, Countess of Artois and Burgundy. This book brings her into the light: the author dispels the myth and portrays the reality of a w oman of pow er in the Middle Ages.

21 May 2015 224 pp.

A historian of medieval politics, Christelle Balouzat-Loubet is a specialist of the government of the Countess Mahaut in Artois (13021329). She is currently a lecturer in medieval history at the University of Lorraine.

Mahaut, Countess of Artois and Burgundy (1270-1329), was destined to live an exceptional life, immortalized in the writings of Maurice Druon and twice brought to the screen (notably portrayed by Jeanne Moreau). The grandniece of Saint Louis and the cousin, godmother and mother-in-law of kings, Mahaut d’Artois was indeed one of the most powerful personalities in the kingdom of France in the first quarter of the 14th century.

Brought up and educated at the French court, she became the head of the County of Artois at her father’s death in 1302. She went on to fulfill her vast responsibilities with authority and competence, aided by devoted and able followers. She had to face several rebellions and other threats, notably the ambitions of her devious nephew Robert of Artois, who constantly challenged her legitimacy. The scandal of the Tower of Nesle, the revolt of the nobles, the accusation that she poisoned Louis X and his baby son, the death of her eldest son and heir these are only some of the ordeals she lived through and overcame in order to maintain her position on the political map of the kingdom. The magnitude of her philanthropy and good works also contributed to the renown of Mahaut d’Artois, the contemporary of France’s “Accursed Kings”. Yet this remarkable personality has until now remained obscure.

21

Biographies

Vincent de Paul Marie-Joëlle Guillaume Based on unpublished archives of the Lazarist order, this noteworthy biography is the first in fifteen years on the most famous saint of the Century of Saints

16 April 2015 450 pp.

Born in 1551, Vincent de Paul as a young priest was captured by Barbary pirates and spent two years in bondage. On his return, he became the chaplain of Marguerite de Valois, pastor of Clichy parish, and tutor to the children of Emmanuel de Gondi, general of the galleys, thus making his way in Parisian society and winning over to his cause a large number of wealthy ladies. His relationship of trust and friendship with Gondi led to his appointment as Chaplain General of the Galleys. He became renowned for his compassion and zealous efforts to improve the lot of imprisoned galley-slaves. In 1617, he founded the first Confraternity of Charity, out of which grew the Daughters of Charity, run by Louise de Marillac.

In 1624, he was made principal of the College des Bons Enfants, which led him to found the Congregation of the Priests of the Mission. The priests were based at the priory of Saint-Lazare, hence their name of Lazarists (or Vincentians). In the following years, he established an array of charitable institutions, all aimed at alleviating the suffering of the poor. Under the regency of Anne of Austria, he was named to the Council of Consciousness and had a say in episcopal appointments. An exceptional personality because of his charisma, his tireless energy and his spiritual influence, Vincent de Paul died in 1660 in the odor of sanctity. He was canonized less than a century later.

Marie-Joëlle Guillaume, a professor of classics, has an avid interest in the history of the Church. She has published several books, including a book of interviews with Cardinal Poupard, Au cœur du Vatican : de Jean XXIII à Jean-Paul II, Perrin, 2003 (At the heart of the Vatican: John XXIII to John Paul II); and Un printemps de gloire. Souvenirs de Catherine, marquise de Rambouillet, La Table ronde, 2007 (A glorious spring. Memoirs of Catherine, marquise of Rambouillet).

22

Biographies

Machiavelli Jean-Yves Boriaud

The definitive biography of N iccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527). The most famous of Italian Renaissance thinkers, he w as a philosopher and theoretician of politics, history and w ar.

26 February 2015 368 pp.

Jean-Yves Boriaud, Latin language and literature professor at the University of Nantes, is a specialist on Renaissance Rome.

His biography of Galileo and Histoire de Rome (History of Rome) were published by Perrin in 2010 and 2012. He has also translated great humanist texts into French, including Machiavelli’s “The Prince” and “The Art of War”.

Machiavelli is best known around the world for the abstract term he unknowingly coined ‒ “Machiavellianism”, synonymous with cynicism and deceit. All because, in his most famous work, “The Prince”, he asserts that in politics, reason of state trumps morality. But to reduce Machiavelli to this principle is utterly simplistic. Niccolo Machiavelli was in fact a Florentine from the middle class, whose talent gave him access to his city’s highest offices. We know much more now about his scholarly background; his diplomatic activity that put him in touch with the Italian principalities and with the great powers of the time (France, Germany, etc.); his political role in republican Florence (1498-1512), which had rid itself of the Medici; his expulsion when the Medici returned; and finally his long forced retirement (1512-1529), a period of inactivity that permitted him to write the bulk of his work (“The Prince”, the Discourses, etc.).

As a man of action and a statesman, Machiavelli was constantly confronting his knowledge of ancient Roman culture with the reality of his time. He has thus earned a unique place in European humanism. The wisdom he acquired during his exile allowed him to become a founder of modern political science, and to influence its orientation for centuries.

“In a fascinating biography, Jean-Yves Boriaud recounts the life of Macchiavelli, …and recalls that his master-work, THE PRINCE, by giving precedence to political effectiveness over morality, eclipsed Macchiavelli’s contribution to republicanism.”

MARIANNE

23

Biographies

Victor-Emmanuel III A King facing Mussolini

Frédéric Le Moal Based on previously unpublished archives, w ritten by a leading expert on early 20th century Europe, the book traces the decline of Italy’s « last » king, from the rise of the fascist dictatorship to the break w ith N azi Germany

12 February 2015 560 pp.

Frédéric Le Moal hold s a d octorate in contemporary history from Paris-Sorbonne University (Paris IV), and teaches at Saint-Cyr m ilitary school.

A historian of international relations, he has authored several books: -La France et l’Italie dans les Balkans, 1914-1919.

Le contentieux adriatique, L’H arm attan, 2006 (France and Italy in the Balkans, 1914-1919.

The Ad riatic dispute) -La Serbie, du martyre à la victoire, 1914-191, 14-18 Ed itions, 2008 (Serbia, m artyrd om to victory, 19141918) -La Guerre des Alpes, enjeux et stratégie, Econom ica, 2010 (The War of the Alps, stakes and strategy).

Victor Emmanuel III became king in 1900 after the assassination of his father Umberto I and remained on the throne for forty-six years, eventu ally abd icating u nd er p ressu re from the Allies in 1946. The first d ecad e of his reign w as characterized by a retu rn to the regim e’s p arliam entary p ractices, su sp end ed by his father, and seem ed to p ortend a reconciliation betw een the Crow n and liberalism . The sovereign also strongly su p p orted a d ip lom atic orientation m ore favorable to the Trip le Entente and a p olicy of balance betw een the tw o allied blocs.

In 1915, his su p p ort of the m ovem ent favoring Italy’s p articip ation in the ongoing conflict w as d ecisive against the p rop onents of neu trality.

Once Italy w as at w ar, Victor Em m anu el III becam e the sold ier-king, p resent at the front bu t not m ed d ling in m ilitary affairs, excep t w hen the Battle of Cap oretto d isaster (1917) forced him to sp eak u p to insp ire the necessary sp irit of resistance in his cou ntrym en.

Italy em erged victoriou s from the w ar in 1918 bu t w as m istreated at the Peace Conference in Paris. The fascist m ovem ent em erged from the crisis, contribu ting to the p olitical d estabilization of the kingd om and m aintaining a clim ate of latent civil w ar. When Mu ssolini d ecid ed to m ake his bid for p ow er, he ran u p against an inescap able reality: the p olitical clou t of the Crow n. Only the m onarch cou ld ind eed p u t him in charge of ru nning the cou ntry. The m arch on Rom e w ou ld thu s have a p ositive ou tcom e. On 30 October 1922, Victor Em m anu el III ap p ointed Mu ssolini Prim e Minister, first step in the establishm ent of the fascist d ictatorship , w hich lasted tw enty years. D uring this period, the king disappeared into the shadow s and left governing to Il D uce, for w hom he felt a sincere ad m iration. Only in the second half of the 1930s, w hen fascism aligned w ith N azi Germ any, d id tensions bu ild u p . Yet the king never hind ered Mu ssolini’s actions and end orsed Italy’s entry into w ar against France and the United Kingd om in 1940.

It w as not u ntil 25 Ju ly 1943 that the sovereign d ecid ed to d ep ose Il Du ce, u nd er the p ressu re of a series of m ilitary setbacks. This kingly act w as the p relu d e to the break w ith N azi Germ any and to the civil w ar that ravaged the cou ntry u ntil 1945. The old king fled from Rom e on 9 Sep tem ber 1943, to escap e the Germ ans bu t u nd er ignom iniou s cond itions, for w hich he w as not forgiven. H e tried , once p eace retu rned , to ensu re a sm ooth transition for his son Um berto, so that the crow n he received w ou ld be as solid as p ossible. He finally retired in 1946, before settling in exile in Egypt, w here he died surrounded by his family in 1947.

24

Biographies

Beneš Caught between Hitler and Stalin Antoine Marès

Drawing skillfully from archives, this biography of a little-known but key figure in the history of Europe, Edvard Beneš, depicts his fate as a symbol of the tragedy of the Old Continent in face of totalitarianism.

15 January 2015 512 pp.

RIGHTS SOLD Argo (Czech Republic) Director of the Centre d’histoire de l’Europe centrale contemporaine (Center of Central European contemporary history) at PantheonSorbonne University, and of the CNRS research group « Connaissance de l’Europe médiane » (East-Central European studies), Antoine Marès is a university professor who specializes in Central European history. He directs the history journal Relations internationales (PUF) and sits on the editorial boards of a dozen French and foreign publications. He has written several books, including, Les Intellectuels de l’Est exilés en France, Institut d’études slaves, 2011.

Edvard Beneš (1884-1948) is one of the leading figures of Czech history in the twentieth century. Foreign Minister for seventeen years, then second president of the Czechoslovak Republic, he played a crucial role when confronted with three major historical developments: the end of the European empires in 1918, the confrontation with Hitler’s world, and the division of Europe into two, with the eastern half falling under Soviet control.

Because Beneš is at the center of key issues and controversies regarding national and state identities, he has been the focus of numerous Czech studies. At the European level, his name is linked to the end of the AustroHungarian Empire, the Paris Peace Conference, and the politics of the period between the two wars. He was also involved in the international system of the time, encompassing bilateral relations with France, collective security and the significant events of the period. It is mainly the Munich Agreement of 29-30 September 1938 that is associated with his name, as the victim of abandonment by the Western powers, and his country’s overturning in the “Prague coup” of February 1948.

Beneš played a decisive part in Central European and European history for thirty years. Herein lies the interest and value of a biography that cross-references French, Czech and Slovak archives and delves into the hundreds of works written about this important statesman.

“As with all well-researched biographies, the BENES of Antoine Marès delves into the years of training, into the awakening of a political conscience, and, of course, into the confrontation with the exercise of power. But the work goes well beyond the portrait of a turbulent period: it rolls out the history of a country, the plaything of an intense diplomatic ballet for many years. Was it “the tragedy of an era” as the author suggests on nearly every page? ” LE FIGARO LITTERAIRE 25

Hitler’s last 100 days Jean Lopez Seventy years after Hitler's suicide and the fall of the Reich in April 1945, this chronicle of the Führer’s final days is a text of rare intensity. More than 100 photos, mostly unpublished, illustrate the vertiginous destiny of one of the most astounding characters of the 20th century.

12 March 2015 280 pp.

By the same author: Joukov , 16,000 copies sold

Jean Lopez, founder and managing editor of the magazine Guerres et Histoire, has written a series of critically acclaimed books revisiting the GermanSoviet front: -Koursk, les quarante jours qui ont ruiné la Wehrmacht, Economica, 2011 (Kursk, 40 days that ruined the Wermacht) -Stalingrad, la bataille au bord du gouffre, Economica, 2008 (Stalingrad, the battle on the edge of the abyss) -Berlin, Economica, 2009 -With Lasha Otkhmezuri, Grandeur et misère de l’Armée Rouge, Seuil, 2011 (The Red Army’s glory and failure) -Joukov, a biography, Perrin, 2013.

He is recognized as a leading expert on the Eastern Front and the Second World War.

The Third Reich was a peculiar edifice, like no other before or after. Its chief architect, Adolf Hitler, constructed within a short time a sinister and imposing monument, inherently unstable because it was entirely dedicated to destruction, war and conquest. Obviously, describing and explaining the doom of the Third Reich is inconceivable without careful examination of the behavior of its key figure, Hitler.

To understand this collapse, unique in history, Jean Lopez chronicles the last days of Hitler's life, from his return to Berlin in January 1945 to his suicide in April of the same year. Here are his movements, his proclamations, his acts of government and military command, his daily life and moods, narrated and explained through the testimony and actions of those who stayed with him to the end: Eva Braun, of course, but also Guderian, his driver, his bodyguard, and many more. The chronicle encompasses military events, a crucial dimension because it is the Wehrmacht’s ability to withstand Allied offensives that directly determines how much longer the regime and its master will survive. The political reality is also captured, enabling us to understand the actions of the four most powerful men of the regime after the Führer: Himmler, Goebbels, Bormann and Speer.

More than 100 photos, mostly unpublished, illustrate the account of how one of the most appalling characters of the 20th century met his doom. These images allow us to see the concrete impact of Hitler’s decisions and the cataclysmic reality of his fall.

Ultimately, the text and images answer the central question in this singular and innovative book: what designs lay behind Hitler’s will never to surrender, to resist until death, dragging his 80 million powerless subjects with him into unprecedented catastrophe? « In an important book that will set a precedent… Jean Lopez, Director of the review GUERRES ET HISTOIRES, author of a superb biography of the Soviet general Zhukov (PERRIN), establishes the chronicle – intimate, political, ideological and military - of the Führer’s last days. An essential 26 work to understand better what was, day to day, ‘Hitlerian’ fanaticism.”

LE FIGARO MAGAZINE

Napoleonic Era

The Fall of Napoléon Dominique de Villepin

A powerful and groundbreaking history of Napoleon and the imperial saga.

From 2002 to 2009, Dominique de Villepin wrote an inspired trilogy which received an enthusiastic response from readers and critics.

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Les cent jours ou l’esprit de sacrifice (The 100 Days or the Spirit of Sacrifice) retraces the youth of Bonaparte and his rise to power, from the Lodi victory to the Tilsitt triumph. It was awarded the Prix des Ambassadeurs and Grand Prix de la Fondation Napoléon).

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Le soleil noir de la puissance.1796-1807 (The Black Sun of Power) is the implacable account of the crisis and the fall of the Great Empire.

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La chute ou l’empire de la solitude. 1807-1814. (The Fall or the Empire of Solitude) is the fascinating tale of the Emperor’s fall, from Waterloo to his last exile in SaintHélène.

12 March 2015 1568 pp.

Dominique de Villepin has served as Secretary-General of the Elysée palace, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of the Interior, and Prime Minister.

Altogether 150 000 copies sold !

On the occasion of the bicentenary of the Hundred Days, of the battle of Waterloo and Napoleon’s exile on Saint-Hélène, the trilogy is now gathered in one large format book, emphasizing its power and coherence.

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Napoleonic Era

Murat Vincent Haegele

A portrait of Joachim Murat, the most flamboyant of Napoleon's marshals who became the King of Naples, a charismatic personality previously crushed under the weight of imperial legend.

26 February 2015 816 pp.

A former student of the Ecole nationale des chartes, Vincent Haegele is a paleographer and archivist who is a recognized specialist on the Empire. He has published the correspondence between Napoleon and his brother Joseph, 1784-1818 (Tallandier, 2007) as well as a double biography of the Bonaparte brothers (Tallandier, 2010).

Joachim Murat (1767-1815) is well-known to fans of the Empire or the romantic ideal: An intrepid horseman, an epicurean, a collector of baroque uniforms, the marshal could pride himself on being the flamboyant alter ego of a duller Napoleon. But this caricature does not do Murat justice. From the moment his path crossed Bonaparte’s, everything came together to propel him to the top: the Italian and then Egyptian campaigns, his marriage to Napoleon’s sister Caroline, his post as proconsul in Italy, the brilliant campaigns bringing the war to its apotheosis. The crown of Naples was the fitting culmination of his meteoric rise, a reward for his loyalty.

Yet behind the grandeur of the portraits by Ingres, Murat was not without contradictions. His thirst for glory led him to great exploits on the battlefield, but he let himself be drawn into political quarrels and manipulated. He ardently defended the idea of Italy annexed to France but later took the opposite stance.

In Spain, he staunchly represented the interests of his brother-inlaw and master, until he allowed future insurgents to arm themselves. His name is attached to both the magnificent cavalry charge at the battle of Eylau and the brutal crack-down on Madrid’s rebellion against French occupation.

The book allows us to appreciate how far the son of a farmer from provincial Quercy was able to rise to gain a historical dimension. Legend has given him the stature of a hero. Here, the author takes the true measure of a complex and fascinating man. .

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Napoleonic Era

Waterloo : 1915 Thierry Lentz The truth about one of the most famous ‒ and mythologized ‒ battles in world history is revealed in this book. Written for the bicentenary of Waterloo, it is a lively and faultless presentation, using littleknown

testimony,

with

abundant

and

rare

iconography and informative maps and diagrams.

15 January 2015 320 pp.

So much has been written about Napoleon’s last battle on June 18, 1815, one could think it was still being fought. Ever since the Emperor’s downfall, the debate has continued on the whys and wherefores of the crushing defeat. Thierry Lentz has chosen – with text, images and maps – to stick to the facts. His goal is to understand what was at stake on that fateful day, the issues going far beyond this appallingly murderous tenhour battle.

When Napoleon began his campaign on June 14, he was determined to strike like a thunderbolt at home and abroad, to rebuild his power after his return from Elba and bring the allies to negotiation in favorable conditions. Despite incredibly difficult preparations, he was on the verge of success.

Reconstituting the details of the various phases of the tragic battle from the best French and foreign sources, the author underlines the futility of focusing on marginal issues like Soult’s shortcomings, Ney's behavior or Grouchy’s mistakes.

What he highlights, authoritatively and with striking style, is the full impact of the event and its protagonists on the course of history.

Director of the Fondation Napoléon, Thierry Lentz has emerged as the top expert of our time on the imperial era, as evidenced by his Nouvelle histoire du Premier Empire (New History of the First Empire) in four volumes published by Fayard in 2010. Perrin published in 2013 his Le Congrès de Vienne. Une refondation de l’Europe 1814-1815 (Congress of Vienna. A refounding of Europe 18141815) and in 2014 Les vingt jours de Fontainebleau. La première abdication de Napoléon 31 mars-20 avril 1814 (The twenty days of Fontainebleau. Napoleon's first abdication 31 March-20 April 1814).

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Backlist Highlights

Wehrmacht Letters Marie MOUTIER – Preface by Timothy SNYDER Between 1939 and 1945, Wehrmacht soldiers wrote incessantly to their closest friends and family. In this selection of the most powerful and revealing letters selected among the 16 000 that were donated by German families to the Deutsche Dienststelle archive in Berlin, the reader discovers the Second World War, as seen from the inside. The letters are presented here in their entirety, chronologically, and cover all the fronts of the war from the East to North Africa - allowing a broad picture of the conflict's evolution from the point of view of the "ordinary" soldier.

18 September 2014 348 pp.

RIGHTS SOLD Shanghai 99 (China) Karl Blessing (Germany) Ny Nordisk (Danemark) Editorial Planeta (Spain) Atena Kustannus Oy (Finland) Garzanti Libri (Italia) Kawade Shobo Shinsha (Japan) De Arbeiderspers (Netherlands) Lind & Co/Fischer & Co (Sweden) Volvox Globator (Czech Republic)

Around 17 million soldiers served in the Wehrmacht during the Second World War, and nearly all of them wrote home regularly.

These letters are among the invaluable documents that, as primary sources, provide an image of the war as seen from the inside. They are reproduced here for the first time in their entirety, adding immeasurably to our knowledge of the mindset and the actions of soldiers of the Third Reich.

This is a description of the daily reality of warfare, fought on all fronts, from the invasion of Poland to the fall of Berlin. While the letters dating from the French campaign of 1940 or the beginning of Operation Barbarossa express a fervent hope to take part in the rebirth of Greater Germany, missives written in the wake of the defeat of Stalingrad are explosive in a different way. The reader absorbs the soldiers’ disillusion and distress in the face of physical and material conditions that grow daily more unbearable and an increasingly dim vision of victory as they are overwhelmed by Russian and American enemies. But their weariness of combat and desire to go home are balanced by expressions of exaltation of their faith in Germany and in Hitler.

For, contrary to the outdated image which nonetheless remains in some sectors, that of a clean-cut and dutiful army that was somewhat distant from Nazism, the soldiers of the Wehrmacht were not ordinary soldiers. Most evident in these letters is the fact that many were the bearers of Hitler’s ideology throughout Europe, the spearhead of Nazism in war.

A respected Germanist and specialist of the Third Reich, Marie Moutier ‘s academic work has been followed by both Jean-Paul Bled and Edouard Husson. She has also been a researcher and archive director for the Yahad-in Unum , committed to gathering eyewitness accounts of WW II mass executions. She has made numerous research trips to Germany, Eastern Europe as well as to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

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Backlist Highlights

Of Blood and Sceptre Jean des CARS

This is the story of how the European monarchies lived through the maelstrom of two world wars.

Portraits, anecdotes, juggled alliances… For the 1 st time, Jean Des Cars takes us to the heart of the Courts of Europe at war.

30 October 2014 400 pp.

17,000 copies sold

Kings and Queens in the turmoil of two World Wars: Hapsburg, Hohenzollern, Windsor, the royal families of Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece.

By the same author: Saga des Romanov: 70.000 copies sold Saga des Habsbourg : 30.000 copies sold Eugénie : 30.000 copies sold

This is an essentially personal and human story of the families of the reigning dynasties during the two world wars, all of them inextricably involved in and often victims of the dramatic events that punctuated these two conflicts.

These families were often inter-related, which gave rise to additional dilemmas. La Guerre des rois et des reines is an often dramatic and always vivid account of the years of conflict that crushed Europe and precipitated the fall of several dynasties (the Romanovs and Hapsburgs in 1918; the royal houses of Romania, Yugoslavia, and Savoy after 1945). What became of the sovereigns in the aftermath of each of these wars? Who managed to survive, either still on their thrones, exiled, banished, or having abdicated?

The double tragedy of the First and Second World Wars swept aside or definitively overwhelmed all the European monarchies, and through them, the power of the “old continent”.

In a succession of chronological chapters, each concentrating upon one family, Jean des Cars presents portraits of the monarchs and zeroes in on key moments and little known anecdotes, in a narrative of the “twilight of the kings” as it has never been told.

Jean des Cars is a historian of the great dynasties of Europe and their most illustrious members. Among his most popular works are Eugénie, la dernière impératrice (Perrin, 2000); Sissi ou la Fatalité (Perrin, 2009); La Saga des Romanov (Plon, 2008) ; La Saga des Habsbourg (Perrin, 2010); La Saga des Windsor (Perrin, 2011), La Saga des reines (Perrin, 2012) and La Saga des favorites (Perrin, 2013).

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Backlist Highlights

The Century of Blood 1914-2O14, TWENTY WARS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

Edited by Emmanuel Hecht and Pierre Servent

The twenty wars that changed the world. This book recounts “the world of yesterday”, as Stefan Zweig put it, in order to understand that of today, through the transformations of war. Once more “Man is wolf to man”, the Latin aphorism cited by Hobbes, is proven true.

15 May 2014 386 pp.

8,000 copies sold!

RIGHTS SOLD Japan ( Shin Hyoron) Brazil (Contexto)

This unprecedented work presents an analysis of war in twenty chapters, written by renowned historians (Jean-Yves Le Naour, Olivier Wieviorka, and Jean-Louis Margolin, among others) and special correspondents of L’Express (Marc Epstein, Vincent Hugeux), experts and, most often, witnesses to the conflicts they covered. In the manner of Les Derniers Jours des Dictateurs, historic excellence and journalistic vigor combine to offer the reader a riveting book.

The conflicts in question are those that caused worldwide upheaval: the two world wars, of course, but also some forgotten conflicts, such as the Russian civil war (1917-1922) which brought Lenin to power and contributed to the radicalization of his regime; the Sino-Japanese war (19321945), antechamber of the Second World War; the Russian invasion of Afghanistan (1979-1989) that precipitated the fall of the USSR, and the Iran-Iraq war whose long-term effects turned the Middle East upside down and aggravated the oil crisis, giving birth to the current crisis. A selective bibliography at the end of each chapter and a chronology, with commentary, complete the whole.

Emmanuel Hecht is the editor of the cultural section of L’Express and co-editor, with Diane Ducret, of Les Derniers Jours des dictateurs (Perrin/L’Express, 2012 – 16,000 copies sold in France, rights sold to Russia, Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria).

Pierre Servent, an internationally renowned expert on questions of defense and strategy, teaches at the Collège interarmées de Défense and is often called upon as a consultant to numerous media and major international businesses. A former journalist at La Croix and Le Monde, his works published by Perrin include Le Complexe de l’Autruche. Pour en finir avec les défaites françaises (Tempus, 2013) and a critically acclaimed biography of Manstein (2013) in the “Maîtres 32 de guerre“ collection.

Backlist Highlights

Criminals True Stories

Philippe di Folco and Yves Stavridès

For the first time, Sonatine and Perrin have joined forces to produce a book that will fascinate both history buffs and crime thriller fans

8,000 copies sold!

September 2014 395 pages

You meet killers in this book. A whole slew of them. The atrocities they’ve committed chill the blood. We can certainly consider ourselves lucky such villains have never crossed our paths. And yet they’re not simply monsters. Some wouldn’t hurt a fly, though nothing would stop them from gunning down the world’s prominent people.

Others may have parents, a spouse or children they adore while they show their victims no mercy. They remain human beings nonetheless, and their reactions can be touching. In each case, their evil deeds are set in a historical context. Thus, Joseph Le Bon and the Terror ; John Chivington and the Winning of the West; Vassili Blokhin, Stalin’s executioner; Oskar Paul Dirlewanger and Nazi barbarism; Shiro Ishii and the unleashing of germ warfare; Luciano Leggio, the “real” Godfather; and Griselda Blanco, queen of the drug cartels. An eye-opening journey into the depths of hell, so powerfully written you’ll read it in one sitting.

Twenty murderers put into words, explained and analyzed. Twenty haunting, haunted tales, barbaric and yet profoundly human. Twenty historical episodes presented with the style and pace of thrillers.

Philippe Di Folco is a writer, screenwriter and journalist. He is the author of some thirty books and the editor of two social sciences dictionaries.

A reporter at the news magazine L’Express for twenty-six years and later investigative features editor, Yves Stavridès is also a screenwriter and author.

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Backlist Highlights

A History of Terrorism GILLES FERRAGU UNDER THE DIRECTION OF OLIVIER WIEVIORKA

A historic approach to terrorism has long been lacking. This major international synthesis resituates this phenomenon in a broad and encompassing context.

20 March 2014 544 Pages

Gilles Ferragu, former member of the École française de Rome, is a lecturer in contemporary history at the Université Paris Ouest and at Sciences Po Paris. He is, notably, the co-author of the classic Le XXe siècle (a collaborative work, Hachette, 2010), Écrivains et diplomates (Armand Colin, 2012), and Dictionnaire du Vatican et du SaintSiège (Robert Laffont, 2013)

If, today as yesterday, terrorism is in all the headlines, it remains a problematic subject whose very definition is the object of debate. Doubtless, legal experts, political scientists, sociologists, and even journalists have no difficulty describing it. But a historical approach has long been missing, for terrorism, indeed, has a history.

Scattered among different groups, justified by any number of various ideologies, nonetheless, it cannot be reduced to a series of attacks and ensuing trials.

On the contrary, the intent of this first vast synthesis is to offer a global vision that allows the reader to understand the historical conditions in which violence appears and spreads in societies. It also defines the ties that are woven among different movements, but also between succeeding generations of terrorists. Beginning with the first appearance of the term « terrorism », in the late 18th century and in the context of the French Revolution, this work covers over two centuries of history, recalling the political violence that has struck the Western world as well as the East, both State-inspired and the tool of minorities, in order to evaluate the actual importance of this phenomenon in History.

HISTOIRE DU TERRORISME by Gilles Ferragu, specialist of diplomatic and religious history, incites us to reflection… From the anarchists of the late 19th century to the assassins of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, …from the IRA to Al-Qaida, the author explores the various forms of terror, without ever giving into simplistic conclusions. Superb work. LE FIGARO MAGAZINE The very well-documented work by Gilles Ferragu underlines that terrorism…is nourished as much by its context as its history: from the first anti-Napoleon attacks to the upsurge of anarchist violence in the 19th century the phenomenon was transformed and was globalized under the influence of connected groups.… The historical perspective also allows one to perceive certain 34 recurrent aspects, such as the role of “godfather States” who are ready to use terrorist organizations to boost their international position. MARIANNE

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Perrin is an im print of Ed i8 12, avenue d ’Italie 75013 PARIS Rights Sales Manager Rebecca Byers Rebecca.byers@ed i8.fr 35