Rafael Sabatini shared two important aspects about writing fiction. He wrote in his preface to The Tyrant, "What he writes need not necessarily be true; but, at least, it must seem to be true, so that it may carry that conviction without which interest fails to be aroused." He also understood that to write historical fiction requires in-depth research, but parading this acquired knowledge in our writing isn't the way to write a gripping story. "Although perhaps not one-tenth of this knowledge will find its way to the written page, yet in some subtle, indefinable way, the nine-tenths or more which remain apparently unexpressed will none the less inform what is written, and the sense of period with which the writer is imbued and from which he derives his certainty of touch will convey to the reader an impression akin to that which he would derive from the report of an eyewitness." Those words appear in the preface on his anthology, Historical Nights Entertainment, and they are reminiscent of an iceberg. In the writing of The Rebel & the Spy, I have consulted a host of resources in order to learn both the history of the events on which the novel is based and to recreate the world in which my characters live. Since others may be interested in the history behind the story, I share this bibliography of print and online resources that I have consulted over the years. (Please note: This is not a complete list. Some online links are no longer valid and have been omitted.)

This page serves as the directory to the many different topics that I've researched. These are divided into four categories: History, People, Places, and Salmagundi. The first three are self-explanatory, but the fourth may be an unfamiliar term to many. "Salmagundi" -- also known as "Solomon Grundy" -- was a favorite dish of pirates. Similar to our chef's salad today, salmagundi contained marinated bits of fish, turtle, and meat combined with herbs, palm hearts, spiced wine, and oil. This concoction was then served with hard-boiled eggs, pickled onions, cabbage, grapes, and olives. Here, salmagundi refers to the various subjects that are necessary ingredients for crafting my historical novel, but that do not fit into one of the other three categories. The links below will take you directly to that section of the bibliography.

History	People	Places	Salmagundi
Barataria Battle of Baltimore Battle of New Orleans British Royal Navy Espionage Haiti & West Indies Inquisition Louisiana Mexican Independence Napoleonic Era Piracy & Privateering Ships & Life at Sea Slavery US Navy War of 1812 Warfare Weaponry	George Armistead Peter Ellis Bean Renato Beluche William Charles Cole Claiborne George Cockburn Andrew Jackson William Jones Thomas Kemp Jean & Pierre Laffite Edward & Louise Livingston Dolley & James Madison José María Morelos Daniel Todd Paterson Robert Ross Père Antoine Sedella Jean-Pierre Sioussat Dominque Youx Peripheral Biographies	Baltimore   Barataria & Bayous Caribbean Islands City Sights & Sounds Fell's Point Fort McHenry Louisiana Mexico New Orleans Washington City White House	Body Language & Emotions Death Dueling Entertainment Fashion Flora & Fauna Folklore Food & Drink Fortunetelling Hearth & Home Justice Language Medicine Money & Trades Punishments Religion Weather Writing References (Misc.)