Bowman, F. P. Prosper Merimee: Heroism, Pessimism and Irony, Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1962. .

Considers Merimee's fiction as a running autobiographical account of his life and a continuous commentary on his times.

Garraty, John, and Peter Gay, eds. The Columbia History of the World, New York: Harper and Row, 1972.

Overviews developments in France during the period of Merimee's life.

George, Albert J., "Stendhal, Balzac, Merimee," in Short Fiction in France 1800-1850, Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1964, pp. 65-134.

Comments on the verbal economy of Merimee's story and analyzes the themes of honor and betrayal.

Lyon, Sylvia. The Life and Times of Prosper Merimee, New York: Dial Press, 1948.

A detailed biography which establishes the vital context for Merimee's literary activity.

Taine, Hippolyte. Essais de critique et d'histoire, Hachette: Paris, 1874.

A valuable nineteenth-century critical reference on Merimee by a contemporary and acquaintance of the author.