The French Revolution by Alistair Horne
Some say the French Revolution was a catastrophe waiting to happen. Certainly there were signs that it would. This book looks at the signals of its arrival, the mishandling of the situation by Louis XVI and the subsequent events that took place from the storming of the Bastille onwards, through the horrific events of the Terror, the reign of Robespierre, the political machinations and in-fighting and the advent of Napoleon who set a new order in motion and gave France some of its most fascinating moments, before crowning himself Emperor.