In Coup d’Etat, Malaparte attempts to study the means by which a coup can be won or lost, by comparing eight different examples.

Best known in the English speaking world for his book Le Feu Follet, which has been adopted into several films, Pierre Drieu la Rochelle considered the semi-autobiographical Gilles to be his greatest work.

As a member of the French Parliament, Alexis de Tocqueville took it upon himself to become France’s foremost expert on the Algerian question. To this end, he studied the history and people of Algeria, visited the country several times, and undertook a study of both the Islamic religion and Arab language.