Quintin Barry's two-volume history of the Franco-Prussian War

Over the past few weeks I have been reading - for the second time - the late Quintin Barry's two-volume history of Franco-Prussian War.

The first volume covers the outbreak of the war until the surrender at Sedan and the collapse of the Second Empire.

The second volume covers the period from the proclamation of the Third Republic until the end of the war, and includes the Siege of Paris and the foundation of the German Empire.

I have found these to be well-researched and admirably written in a style that told the history of the war in an easy-to-read way that still managed to include the sort of  level of detail beloved by wargamers. This is hardly surprising as - according to his obituary in the Law Gazette - he spent ten years doing his research before he wrote this work.

---

THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR 1870-71 was written by Quintin Barry and published in paperback format in 2025 by Helion & Company (Volume One: ISBN 978 1 8067 2104 7; Volume Two: ISBN 978 1 8067 2105 4).