Saint Joan of Arc bibliography
Saint Joan of Arc Annotated Bibliography
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Contact the author for questions, suggestions or access to the book.
A word on Joan of Arc historiography
You will find in the below review of Mark Twain's biography of Joan mention that Twain has been accused of obsessing over little girls and thus his study of Joan of Arc is infatuation not art, a tainted, shall we say, yucky, take on her story. Not at all! Nonetheless, St. Joan somehow challenges the gender-obsessed 20th and 21st centuries. There is absolutely nothing to consider regarding that she was burned as a witch for having worn men's clothing. It had nothing to do with 15th century gender identity. She was a soldier, and soldiers wear pants and cutting her hair, if she did, was an act of prudence not some transgender identity. So we have today works, websites and popular conceptions of Joan as a modern, sexually unburdened, liberated woman. So when you go looking for information about Joan, look carefully, as the perspectives and agenda reveal themselves, such as New Age, girl-power,[1] or gender-identity[2] perspectives.
So be careful.
In addition to author agenda and bias, the various biographies or histories, you will find many discrepancies in the facts and timelines provided. The problem is twofold:
- The record of the Trial at Rouen is subject to reasonable interpretation, as it was deliberately edited by the Court to put Joan in a bad light. The main stenographer was loyal the record, but even his manuscript was subject to change. Additionally, we have only copies of those transcripts, so those are subject editorial abuse, as well. This is not to say that the transcripts are false and ahistorical -- they are a uniquely complete testimony of an historical event. We just need to be careful with it.
- The various testimonies at the Trial at Rouen and the later Rehabilitation Trial may have conflicting eye witness testimony. That, too, is not irreparable as an historical record, it just means that the historian needs to make choices. More difficult, though, is that the timeline gets confusing as the testimony does not follow chronology. In other words, various witnesses may testify to the same event or moment, but their testimony is scattered across the record, not presented linearly.
So it is best to use various sources and compare them constantly, making up your own mind as to the most accurate.
Trials of Condemnation and Rehabilitation
Original transcripts in Latin and Middle French
- Quicherat, Jules
- Gallica
- Archive.org
French translations
- Champion
English translations
- Barrett, W.T. The Trial Of Jeanne D'arc, Translated Into English From The Original Latin And French Documents: With An Essay On The Trial Of Jeanne D'arc And Dramatis Personae, Biographical Sketches Of The Trial Judges And Other Persons Involved In The Maid's Career, Trial And Death, By Pierre Champion, Translated From The French By Coley Taylor And Ruth H. Kerr 1932.
- Fordham University Medieval Sourcebook
- Archive.org 1931 edition
- Hobbins, Daniel https://archive.org/details/trialofjoanofarc00dani (2005)
- see reviews
- Murray, T. Douglas, Jeanne d'Arc, maid of Orleans, deliverer of France; being the story of her life, her achievements, and her death, as attested on oath and set forth in original documents; 1902 (Archive.org)
- Note this scan is missing pages 138-139
Sources
working sources:
Current:
15th Century
- See above for Trials of Condemnation and Rehabilitation
- Pisan [Pizan], Christine. Ditie de la Pucelle, 1429 (written July 31, 1431, shortly after the Coronation at Reims)
- Quicherat, Vol IV, pp. 1-21
- Jeanne d'Arc : chronique rimée / par Christine de Pisan ; [éd. par Henri Herluison] | Gallica
- The writings of Christine de Pizan: Christine, de Pisan, ed. by Charity Cannon Willard, 1993 (Archive.org); pp. 352-363 (English translation only)
- Gerson
- Gelu
- Chronique de la Pucelle by Cousinot, (written 1456, first published 1661)
- Journal de la Siege d'Orleans
- Bourgeois de Paris
- Wavrin
- Monstrelet
- Froissant
- Percevel de Cagny
16th Century
- Histoire de Jeanne La Pucelle d'Orleans, by Edmond Richer, 1630
Catholic Church & Theology
Christian and Spiritual
- Joan of Arc : God's warrior a seven-day retreat : Beckwith, Barbara, 1948- : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
- Joan of Arc : religious and military leader : Hubbard-Brown, Janet : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
- Jeanne and the Clergy
Academic, Cultural
- Beaune, Colette:
- Jeanne d'Arc: Vérités et légendes : Beaune, Colette: Amazon.fr: Books
- here for Amazon.com author search
- Le Grand Ferré : premier héros paysan : Beaune, Colette : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
- Naissance de la nation France : Beaune, Colette : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
- Jeanne d'Arc: Vérités et légendes : Beaune, Colette: Amazon.fr: Books
Popular, Secular
- Silverthone, Elizabeth, Joan of Arc : Silverthorne, Elizabeth, 1930- : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
- Gies, FranceJoan of Arc : the legend and the reality : Gies, Frances (archive.org)
- Luce, Siméon
Military & Hundred Years War
Wikipedia
The most extensive entries on Joan of Arc are on the French version of Wikipedia, https://fr.wikipedia.org
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_of_Arc#Chinon
- Canonization of Joan of Arc - Wikipedia
- Siege of Orléans - Wikipedia
- Charles VII of France - Wikipedia
- Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War - Wikipedia
- Dual monarchy of England and France - Wikipedia (English rule in France)
- Siege of Compiègne - Wikipedia
- Maps of Hundred Years War (Wikimedia Commons)
- Vigiles du roi Charles VII - Wikimedia Commons
- has images from a 1490s manuscript on the Hundred Years War
- see Martial d'Auvergne
Other:
- De memorabilibus et claris mulieribus: aliquot diuersorum scriptorum opera - (1521 account of Ianna Gallica "Pucella" in Latin (Google Books)
- https://joan-of-arc.org/ls_bibliography.html#joa_pernoud
- Joan of Arc: A Military Leader
- Joan of Arc: Her Prophecies (saint-joan-of-arc.com)
- The origin of Jeanne's voices and visions (jeanne-darc.info) and Visions | Joan of Arc | Jeanne-darc.info
- Visions | Joan of Arc | Jeanne-darc.info
- Materials on Joan of Arc (iu.edu)
- At Her Trial, St. Joan of Arc Faced Her Accusers Alone| National Catholic Register (ncregister.com)
Bibliographies
I'm not yet sure of the perspective of the author of this site, but he has produced a useful bibliography with "comments" (annotations): https://joan-of-arc.org/ls_bibliography.html#joa_pernoud
Joan of Arc#Sources - Wikipedia
Popular culture and social media
- Reddit discussion Why is Joan of Arc a saint? : r/Catholicism
Miscellaneous links
- The Truth About Joan of Arc Everyone Needs to Know | Catholica
- The Pop-Culture Icon of Joan of Arc Is No Match to the Catholic Saint| National Catholic Register
- New Play’s ‘Non-Binary’ Joan of Arc Character Detracts From Saint’s Heroism and Dignity, Catholics Say| National Catholic Register
- Joan of Arc : the legend and the reality : Gies, Frances (archive.org)
- Joan of Arc - Poitiers Testimony\
- Joan of Arc Biography - Visions
- Joan of Arc - Maid of Heaven - Vaucouleurs Where Joan's Mission Began
- The maid of France; being the story of the life and death of Jeanne d'Arc : Lang, Andrew, 1844-1912
- The Golden Longing : Francis Leary
- Joan of Arc Study Guide | SparkNotes
Coronation of French kings
Suggested Readings
- Canonization of Saint Joan of Arc << add link >> needs translation
- Joan of Arc : by Mooney, John A. (John Aloysius) (Archive.org) 1919, a Catholic perspective published just before Saint Joan's canonization
- Joan of Arc: her story by Pernoud, Régine (Archive.org) Régine Pernoud was an important French "medievalist" who wrote several volumes on Saint Joan; this work's English translation was published by St. Martin's Press, a major market (not Catholic) publisher
- Pernoud's Rehabiliation Trial https://archive.org/details/retrialofjoanofa00pern
Biographies
- Memoirs Of Jeanne D' Arc, Surnamed La Pucelle D' Orleans With The History Of Her Times, Volume 1 : Ireland, W. H. (William Henry), 1777-1835, ed (Archive.org)
- Saint Joan of Arc : born, January 6th, 1412, burned as a heretic, May 30th, 1431, canonised as a saint, May 16th, 1920 : Sackville-West, V. (Victoria), 1892-1962 : (Archive.org)
- Sackville-West is an early-mid 20th century English writer and contemporary and friend of Virginia Woolf. She was quite famous in her day, although her work on Joan, like that of Mark Twain's, was and is not well-known. I have not assessed the historical value of this book, although it does present some interesting commentary. Sackville-West does not believe that Saint Joan was divinely inspired.
- La vraie Jeanne d'Arc: Ayroles, Jean Baptiste Joseph (Archive.org)
Miscellaneous
- JOAN OF ARC'S PROPHECIES (JEAN BARRY), a chapter from a book by a CIA psychologist who thought that Joan had paranormal powers, and, I can only guess, wanted to employ them against enemies foreign and domestic. As I wrote before, Joan is all things to all people.
- Jeanne d’Arc in the obligation and freedom of the private lawa
- some sort of review of Joan of Arc's "tears" (from crying) and their meaning and use over time.
- ↑ See The trial of Joan of Arc : Joan, of Arc, Saint, 1412-1431 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming (Archive.org)
- ↑ This essay seeks "gay icons" of Saint Joan: What Did Jeanne d'Arc Look Like?: "GLBT historians love to claim Jeanne as lesbian, bisexual or transgendered. I’m one of those who think she was a case of androgen insensitivity syndrome — burned at the stake in 1431 for her “crime” of flouting Catholic rules on gender and women’s clothing."
Saint Joan of Arc stone from the dungeon at Rouen
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception has a stone taken from the castle where Joan was imprisoned.
The National Shrine’s Connection to Saint Joan of Arc - National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Statues and artistic depictions of Saint Joan
In addition to the National Gallery of Art "Life of Saint Joan" paintings, there are many fascinating artistic depictions of Saint Joan, including

Statues
- Saint Joan of Arc statue, Riverside Park, NYC: Riverside Park Monuments - Joan of Arc Memorial : NYC Parks
- Here for a good article on sculpture and artist: Thi=s Statue on Riverside Drive Was the First in NYC to Depict a Real Female Figure - Untapped New York
- Here for photos of the statue and several news clippings of events at the statue honoring Saint Joan's canonization: Category:Joan of Arc statue (New York City) - Wikimedia Commons
- Saint Joan of Arc statue, Meridian Hill Park, Washington DC: Joan of Arc Statue (U.S. National Park Service)