# Frank McLynn

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British author, historian and journalist

For people with a similar name, see [Frank McGlynn (disambiguation)](/source/Frank_McGlynn_(disambiguation)).

Frank McLynn FRHistS FRGS Born Francis James McLynn (1941-08-29) 29 August 1941 (age 84) United Kingdom Occupation Author Notable work Napoleon Genghis Khan 1066: The Year of the Three Battles

**Francis James McLynn** [FRHistS](/source/FRHistS) [FRGS](/source/FRGS) (born 29 August 1941), known as **Frank McLynn**, is a British author, biographer, novelist, historian and journalist.

He is known for biographies of [Napoleon](/source/Napoleon), [Robert Louis Stevenson](/source/Robert_Louis_Stevenson), [Carl Jung](/source/Carl_Jung), [Richard Francis Burton](/source/Richard_Francis_Burton) and [Henry Morton Stanley](/source/Henry_Morton_Stanley).

## Early life and education

McLynn was educated at the [John Fisher School, Purley](/source/The_John_Fisher_School), and won an [Open Scholarship](/source/Scholarship) in [Classics](/source/Classics) to [Wadham College, Oxford](/source/Wadham_College%2C_Oxford).[1] Once at Oxford, McLynn switched to [Politics, Philosophy and Economics](/source/Philosophy%2C_politics_and_economics) (PPE). McLynn explained his choice by stating that "history and literature were my first loves, and I would always read them in future life, but I doubted that I would ever pick up a book on economics or philosophy again". This multi-disciplinary course formed part of McLynn's ambition to become a [polymath](/source/Polymath).

## Career

McLynn entered the professional world as a [journalist](/source/Journalist). He developed an interest in [Latin America](/source/Latin_America), and spent two years in Colombia as deputy director of the [British Council](/source/British_Council), and a subsequent year in Argentina as a Parry/Ford Foundation Fellow. He was awarded a [PhD](/source/Doctor_of_Philosophy) in the early 1970s for a [thesis](/source/Thesis) on Argentina in the 1860s.

Prior to and during his career as a writer, McLynn worked in academic positions in the [UK](/source/United_Kingdom) and [USA](/source/United_States).

### Academic positions

University/College Position Years King's College London Assistant lecturer 1972-74 Humboldt State University Lecturer 1977-78 St Antony's, Oxford Alistair Horne Research Fellow 1987-88 Strathclyde University, Glasgow Visiting Professor 1996-2001 Goldsmith's College, London Professorial Fellow 2000-02

### Awards and nominations

McLynn was shortlisted for the [NCR Book Award](/source/NCR_Book_Award) for *Carl Gustav Jung: A Biography*

## Bibliography

### Books

Title First Published Publisher Reissued Reissued By France and the Jacobite Rising of 1745 1981 Edinburgh University Press The Jacobite Army in England, 1745–46 1983 John Donald Publishers Ltd The Jacobites 1985 Routledge & Kegan Paul Invasion: From the Armada to Hitler 1987 Routledge Charles Edward Stuart: A Tragedy in Many Acts 1988 Routledge 2020 Sharpe Books Crime and Punishment in Eighteenth Century England 1989 Routledge Stanley: The Making of an African Explorer, 1841–1877 1989 Constable & Co. From the Sierras to the Pampas: Richard Burton's Travels in The Americas, 1860–69 1991 Trafalgar Square Stanley: Sorcerer's Apprentice 1991 Constable & Co. Snow upon the Desert: The Life of Sir Richard Burton 1993 John Murray Publishers Ltd Hearts of Darkness: The European Exploration of Africa 1993 Caroll & Graf Publishers Famous Letters: Messages & Thoughts That Shaped Our World 1993 Reader's Digest Association Fitzroy MacLean 1993 John Murray Publishers Ltd Robert Louis Stevenson: A Biography 1994 Random House Famous Trials: Cases That Made History 1995 Reader's Digest Napoleon: A Biography 1997 Arcade Publishing Carl Gustav Jung: A Biography 1997 Thomas Dunne Books 1066: The Year of the Three Battles 1998 Johnathan Cape Pimlico Villa and Zapata: A History of the Mexican Revolution 2000 Basic Books Wagons West: The Epic Story of America's Overland Trails 2002 Grove Press 1759: The Year Britain Became Master of the World 2005 Atlantic Monthly Press Lionheart and Lackland: King Richard, King John and the Wars of Conquest* 2006 Jonathan Cape Marcus Aurelius: Warrior, Philosopher, Emperor 2009 Bodley Head Heroes and Villains: Inside the Minds of the Greatest Warriors in History 2009 Pegasus The Burma Campaign: Disaster Into Triumph 1942–45 2010 Bodley Head 2011 Yale University Press Captain Cook: Master of the Seas 2011 Yale University Press The Road Not Taken: How Britain Narrowly Missed a Revolution, 1381–1926 2012 Random House Genghis Khan: The Man Who Conquered the World 2015 Bodley Head Bipolar: The South Pole 2018 Crux Publishing Bipolar: The North Pole

*Published in the US as *Richard and John: Kings at War* (2007), [Da Capo Press](/source/Da_Capo_Press)

### As editor

- *Of No Country: An Anthology of the Works of Sir Richard Burton* (1990), [London](/source/London): [Scribners](/source/Scribners)

## Awards and accolades

- [Cheltenham Prize for Literature](/source/Cheltenham_Prize_for_Literature) (1985; for *The Jacobite Army in England*)[2]

- Shortlisted, McVitie's Prize for Scottish Writer of the Year (1989, for *Charles Edward Stuart*)[3]

## See also

- [Legacy and memory of Napoleon](/source/Legacy_and_memory_of_Napoleon)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-random_1-0)** ["Random House Books"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080623075143/http://www.rbooks.co.uk/author.aspx?id=6155). Archived from [the original](http://www.rbooks.co.uk/author.aspx?id=6155) on 23 June 2008. Retrieved 20 February 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-jan_2-0)** ["January Magazine"](https://web.archive.org/web/20100103134837/http://januarymagazine.com/2009/09/biography-marcus-aurelius-life-by-frank.html). Archived from [the original](http://januarymagazine.com/2009/09/biography-marcus-aurelius-life-by-frank.html) on 3 January 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Midlothian, Our Library"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110820011327/http://libraries.midlothian.gov.uk/02_Catalogue/02_005_TitleInformation.aspx?rcn=0091776384&). Archived from [the original](http://libraries.midlothian.gov.uk/02_Catalogue/02_005_TitleInformation.aspx?rcn=0091776384&) on 20 August 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2019.

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND WorldCat National United States France BnF data Japan Czech Republic Spain Portugal Netherlands Norway Korea Poland Israel Catalonia Academics CiNii People DDB Other IdRef Open Library Yale LUX

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