Ken Follett's Column of Fire - The Reading List that Inspired the Novel
Ken Follett's Column of Fire - The Reading List that Inspired the Novel
Whilst researching for A Column of Fire, Ken Follett used over 200 books. We asked Ken to pick ten books that influenced his third Kingsbridge novel, A Column of Fire.
Whether you do your research before you put pen to paper, or after the first draft, research makes a big difference. Ken Follett used over 200 books in his research for his novel A Column of Fire. We asked Ken to talk us through ten of the books that influenced his third Kingsbridge novel.
'I used 228 books in my research for A Column of Fire. From the rigid framework of names and dates, battles and assassinations and massacres to details of underwear, cutlery, coins, toilets, hairdressing, shops and booze – they were vital for getting the details right. Readers enjoy interesting background detail, but it has to be accurate, and I couldn't manage that without history books.'
- Ken Follett
A Column of Fire is set in the sixteenth century, during the reign of Elizabeth I of England. When Elizabeth Tudor becomes queen, all of Europe turns against England. There were many assassination plots against the Queen. The shrewd, determined young monarch immediately sets up the country's first secret service to give her early warning of assassination plots, rebellions and invasion plans.
Mr Secretary Walsingham and the Policy of Queen Elizabeth - 3 Volumes
Sir Francis Walsingham was Queen Elizabeth I's master spy and political manipulator. For twenty years he stood at the centre of the royal administration during the critical period when Mary Stuart plotted and failed when Philip II planned and launched his Spanish Armada. Walsingham was a stout champion of the Protestant faith, a generous patron of the arts, and one of the most energetic promoters of the expansion of England overseas. This first complete study of his life throws light into many different corners of Elizabethan history.