Charles XII and Louis XIV biography

[Lord Winter]

Can anyone recommend a good Charles XII or Louis XIV biography. I'm working mainly from general histories with a focus toward England and Russia, so it would be nice to get a more detailed account of these rulers.

[Kalle]

Two examples of biographies on Charles XII, both of them a bit old but both of them still probably the most enjoyable. There are some new Swedish ones also but I dont know if they have been translated yet. Of course there are some more written in English aswell but I think you would enjoy these two very much.

This one might be the best biography ever written in Sweden;
Author: Bengtsson, Frans G., 1894-1954
Title: The life of Charles XII, king of Sweden 1697-1718
(with an introduction by Eric Linklater ; translated from the Swedish by Naomi Walford) (Bengtsson is also the writer of the superb book Röde Orm, a very fascinating viking saga)

You have also of course Voltaires: Charles XII. In this one you can see how the impression Charles made on Europe at the time it happened.

Kalle