Marie Antoinette's head - Will Bashor

Marie Antoinette has remained atop the popular cultural landscape for
centuries for the daring in
style and fashion that she brought to 18th century France. For the better
part of the queen's reign, one man was entrusted with the sole
responsibility of ensuring that her coiffure was at its most
ostentatious best. Who was this minister of fashion who wielded such
tremendous influence over the queen's affairs? Winner of the Adele Mellen Prize for Distinguished Scholarship, Marie Antoinette's Head: The Royal Hairdresser, The Queen, and the Revolution charts
the rise of Leonard Autie from humble origins as a country barber in
the south of France to the inventor of the Pouf and premier hairdresser
to Queen Marie-Antoinette. By unearthing a variety of sources from
the 18th and 19th centuries, including memoirs (including Lonard's
own), court documents, and archived periodicals the author, French
History professor and expert Will Bashor, tells Autie's mostly unknown
story. Bashor chronicles Leonard's story, the role he played in the life
of his most famous client, and the chaotic and history-making world in
which he rose to prominence. Besides his proximity to the queen,
Leonard also had a most fascinating life filled with sex (he was the
only man in a female dominated court), seduction, intrigue, espionage,
theft, exile, treason, and possibly, execution.