A Guide to the Best Historical Novels and Tales
by Jonathan Nield

"These historical novels have taught all men this truth, which
looks like a truism, and yet was as good as unknown to writers
of history and others, till so taught: that the bygone ages of
the world were actually filled by living men, not by protocols,
state-papers, controversies, and abstractions of men."

--Carlyle on the Waverley novels.

Contents

Introduction

Pre-Christian Era

First Century

Second Century

Third Century

Fourth Century

Fifth Century

Sixth Century

Seventh Century

Eighth Century

Ninth Century

Tenth Century

Eleventh Century

Twelfth Century

Thirteenth Century

Fourteenth Century

Fifteenth Century

Sixteenth Century

Seventeenth Century

Eighteenth Century

Nineteenth Century

Supplementary List (Semi-Historical)

Suggested Courses of Reading (Juvenile)

Bibliography

INTRODUCTION.

It is not proposed, in these preliminary remarks, to sketch in
detail the origin and growth of the Historical Novel; this has
already been amply done by Professor Saintsbury and others.  I
shall be content to approach the subject on its general side,
offering, at the same time, some critical suggestions which will, I
hope, not be without value to readers of Romance.

But, first of all, I must explain how the List which follows came
to be compiled, and the object I have in offering it.  For many
years I have been an assiduous reader of novels and tales in which
the historical element appeared, supplementing my own reading in
this direction by a careful study of all that I could find in the
way of Criticism on such works and their writers.  Only in this way
could I venture on a selection involving a survey of several
thousand volumes!  With the above understanding, I can say that no
book has been inserted without some reason, while I have made all
possible effort to obtain accuracy of description.  And this leads
me to remark, that just in this process of selection do I claim
originality for my List.  Nearly twenty years ago an excellent
"Descriptive Catalogue of Historical Novels and Tales" was
published; Mr. H. Courthope Bowen was the compiler,* and I would
here mention my indebtedness to him.  In Mr. Bowen's list, however,
one finds good and bad alike--all the works of even such moderately
endowed writers as G. P. R. James, Ainsworth, Grant, etc., are
there set down.  It seemed to me that, not only was there room for
a new list of Historical Novels (Stevenson, Marion Crawford, Conan
Doyle, Weyman, Mason, and a number of more or less capable
romancists having come forward in the last twenty years), but,
also, that more than ever was there a need for some sort of clue in
the search for such books.  In the last year or two there has been
an almost alarming influx in this department of Fiction, and
teachers in schools, besides readers in general, may be glad to be
saved a somewhat tedious investigation.

* "A Descriptive Catalogue of Historical Novels and Tales, for the
use of School Libraries and Teachers of History," compiled and
described by H. Courthope Bowen, M. A. (Edward Stanford, 1882.)

Having thus attempted to justify the existence of my little
"Guide," I pass on to deal with the subject of Historical Fiction
itself.  Most of us, I suppose, at one time or another have
experienced a thrill of interest when some prominent personage,
whom we knew well by repute, came before us in the flesh.  We
watched his manner, and noted all those shades of expression which
in another's countenance we should have passed by unheeded.  Well,
it seems to me that, parallel with this experience, is that which
we gain, when, reading some first-rank romance, we encounter in its
pages a figure with which History has made us more or less
familiar.  And I would remark that the great masters do not, as a
rule, make that mistake which less skilful writers fall into--the
mistake of introducing well-known historical figures too
frequently.  The Cromwell of "Woodstock" has an element of mystery
about him, even while he stands out before our mental vision in
bold relief.  Had Scott brought him more prominently into the plot,
and thus emphasized the fictional aspect of his figure, our
interest in the story, as such, might have been sustained, but we
should have lost that atmosphere of vraisemblance which, under a
more careful reserve, the hand of the master has wrought for us.

But it is not only this introduction of personalities which
constitutes a novel "historical"; the mere allusion to real events,
or the introduction of dates, may give us sufficient ground for
identifying the period with which a novel deals.  Of course the
question as to whether a particular person or event is truly
historical, is not always an easy one to answer.  By the adaptation
in it of some purely mythical character or event, a novel is no
more constituted "historical" than is a Fairy-tale by the
adaptation of folklore.  King Arthur and Robin Hood are
unhistorical, and, if I have ventured to insert in my list certain
tales which deal with the latter, it is not on that account, but
because other figures truly historical (e.g., Richard I.) appear.
As there has been some dispute on this question of the Historical
Novel proper, I offer the following definition:--A Novel is
rendered Historical by the introduction of dates, personages, or
events, to which identification can be readily given.  I am quite
aware that certain well-known novels which give the general
atmosphere of a period--such, for example, as Hawthorne's "Scarlet
Letter" and Mr. Hewlett's "Forest Lovers"--do not come within the
scope of my definition; but this is just why I have added a
"Supplementary List" of semi-historical tales.  And, while I am
alluding to this "Supplementary List," I should like to give my
reason for omitting from it one remarkable book which has every
claim to be considered representative of the mid-nineteenth
century.  Readers of "John Inglesant" may be reminded that in his
interesting preface Mr. Shorthouse alludes to William Smith's
philosophical novel--"Thorndale."  As a picture of Thought
developments in the early Victorian period, the latter work has
special historical interest for the philosophical and theological
student; in this respect it may be likened to Pater's "Marius the
Epicurean," which vividly reproduces the Intellectual ferment of an
earlier age.  "Thorndale," however, is primarily didactic, and the
philosophical dialogues (interesting as these are to the
metaphysician) hardly atone to the general reader for an almost
entire absence of plot.  The above is, doubtless, an altogether
extreme instance, but the exclusion of several other works from the
category of Romance seems to follow on something like the same
grounds.  Becker's "Charicles" and "Gallus" are little more than
school textbooks, while, turning to a less scholarly quarter,
Ainsworth's "Preston Fight," and even his better-known "Guy
Fawkes," may be cited as illustrating what Mr. Shorthouse means
when he speaks of novels "in which a small amount of fiction has
been introduced simply for the purpose of relating History."  In
all such cases the average novel-reader feels that he has been
allured on false pretences.  I am well aware that not a few of the
books included in my List might be considered to fall under the
same ban, but I think it will be found that in most of them there
is at least a fair attempt to arouse narrative interest.

Coming to the List itself, it will be noticed that I have been
somewhat sparing in the books given under the "Pre-Christian"
heading.  Novels dealing with these very far-off times are apt to
be unsatisfactory; the mist in which events and personages are
enveloped, takes away from that appearance of reality which is the
great charm of the historical novel.  We are hardly concerned, in
reading "Sarchedon" and similar books, to get away from the purely
imaginary pictures which spring from the Novelist's own brain, and
the danger is that the very elements which add to our interest in
the tale as such, will go far to mislead us in our conception of
the period dealt with.  There is none of that sense of familiarity
which we enjoy when reading a sixteenth or seventeenth century
romance; in the latter case, the historical background, being
easily perceptible, merges for us with the creations of the
author's own imagination.  Where the writer of an "ancient" romance
happens to be a scholar like Ebers, we feel that--so far at least
as historical presentment goes--we cannot be far wrong, but the
combination of great scholarship and narrative capacity is, alas,
too rare!

I have likewise refrained from giving many tales dealing with
Early-Christian times.  We are here, it must be admitted, on
controversial ground, and under the First Century heading I have
endeavoured to insert romances of the highest quality only.  For
instance, I think that Dr. Abbott's "Philochristus" and Wallace's
"Ben Hur" ought to satisfy two different types of readers.  And
this is the place, doubtless, to say that in my lists will be found
books of widely differing merit and aim.  School teachers, and
others in like capacity, will easily discriminate between authors