The Narratives of Empire series is a heptalogy of historical novel

Historical novel

According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...

s by Gore Vidal

Gore Vidal

Gore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...

. Published between 1967 and 2000, they chronicle the history of Vidal's "American Empire", from dawn to decay, by interweaving the private stories of two fictional American families with the public stories of historical personages. Although the seven novels were not published in order of historical chronology, they can be read in either historical or publication order without sacrificing narrative intelligibility. Vidal insisted on the title “Narratives of Empire” for the series, despite his publishers’ preference for the safer, mainstream “American Chronicles”.

Order	Title	Story Timeline	Description	Historical Characters	Fictional Characters	Published
1	Burr Burr (novel) Burr , by Gore Vidal, is a historical novel challenging the traditional iconography of United States history via narrative and a fictional memoir of Aaron Burr. Burr was variously the third US vice president, a US Army officer in and combat veteran of the Revolutionary War, a lawyer and a U.S....	1775–1805, 1833–1836, 1840	Aaron Burr Aaron Burr Aaron Burr, Jr. was an important political figure in the early history of the United States of America. After serving as a Continental Army officer in the Revolutionary War, Burr became a successful lawyer and politician... ’s narrative about the “Founding Father” actors chronicles the nation's beginnings	Aaron Burr, George Washington George Washington George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of... , Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...	Charlie Schuyler	1973
2	Lincoln Lincoln (novel) Lincoln is a historical novel, part of the Narratives of Empire series by Gore Vidal.Set during the American Civil War, the novel describes the presidency of Abraham Lincoln through the eyes of several historical figures, including presidential secretary John Hay, First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln,...	1861–1865	Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and... ’s presidency and the disloyalties — internal and external — he overcame to save the Union	John Hay John Hay John Milton Hay was an American statesman, diplomat, author, journalist, and private secretary and assistant to Abraham Lincoln.-Early life:... , John George Nicolay John George Nicolay John George Nicolay was an American biographer and secretary of Abraham Lincoln. In 1838, he immigrated to the United States with his father, attended school in Cincinnati... , Abraham Lincoln, William Seward William Seward William Seward may refer to:*William Seward, English anecdotist, 1747-1799*William H. Seward, United States Secretary of State, 1861-1869*William H. Seward, Jr., his son, banker, Civil War general... , Salmon P. Chase Salmon P. Chase Salmon Portland Chase was an American politician and jurist who served as U.S. Senator from Ohio and the 23rd Governor of Ohio; as U.S. Treasury Secretary under President Abraham Lincoln; and as the sixth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.Chase was one of the most prominent members... , David Herold David Herold David Edgar Herold was an accomplice of John Wilkes Booth in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. After guiding fellow conspirator Lewis Powell to the home of Secretary of State William H. Seward, whom Powell intended to kill, Herold fled and rendezvoused outside of Washington, D.C., with Booth...	William Sanford	1984
3	1876 1876 (novel) Gore Vidal's 1876 is the third historical novel in his Narratives of Empire series. It was published in 1976 and details the events of a year described by Vidal himself as "probably the low point in our republic's history."...	1875–1877	The 1876 presidential election United States presidential election, 1876 The United States presidential election of 1876 was one of the most disputed and controversial presidential elections in American history. Samuel J. Tilden of New York outpolled Ohio's Rutherford B. Hayes in the popular vote, and had 184 electoral votes to Hayes's 165, with 20 votes uncounted...  and its aftermath, where candidate Samuel J. Tilden Samuel J. Tilden Samuel Jones Tilden was the Democratic candidate for the U.S. presidency in the disputed election of 1876, one of the most controversial American elections of the 19th century. He was the 25th Governor of New York...  lost to Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...  despite winning the popular vote	Samuel J. Tilden	Charlie Schuyler, Emma Schuyler, John Day Apgar, William Sanford	1976
4	Empire	1898–1907	Chronicles the birth of the American Empire at the turn of the 20th Century	John Hay, Del Hay, William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father... , William McKinley William McKinley William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s... , Teddy Roosevelt	Caroline Sanford, Blaise Sanford, James Burden Day	1987
5	Hollywood Hollywood (Vidal novel) Hollywood is the fifth historical novel in Gore Vidal's Narratives of Empire series. It was published in 1990. It brings back the fictional Caroline Sanford, Blaise Sanford and James Burden Day and the real Theodore Roosevelt and William Randolph Hearst from Empire...	1917–1923	Chronicles the cinema-shaped self- and world-views of the US populace during the birth of the US film industry	Woodrow Wilson Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913... , Warren G. Harding Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator...	Caroline Sanford, Blaise Sanford, James Burden Day	1990
6	Washington D.C. Washington, D.C. (novel) Washington, D. C. by Gore Vidal is the sixth in his Narratives of Empire series of historical novels . It begins in 1937 and continues into the Cold War, tracing the families of Senator James Burden Day and Blaise Sanford.This book is the least historical and most novelistic of any of the seven...	1937–1952	Political life in the term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...		Blaise Sanford, Peter Sanford, James Burden Day, Clay Overbury	1967
7	The Golden Age The Golden Age (Gore Vidal novel) The Golden Age, a historical novel published in 2000 by Gore Vidal, is the seventh and allegedly final novel in his "Narratives of Empire" series.-Plot introduction:...	1939–1954, 2000	The American Empire’s World War II World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...  maturity and Cold War Cold War The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...  decline; the finale introduces the U.S. at the start of the 21st century	Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war... , Harry Hopkins Harry Hopkins Harry Lloyd Hopkins was one of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's closest advisers. He was one of the architects of the New Deal, especially the relief programs of the Works Progress Administration , which he directed and built into the largest employer in the country... , Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his... , Gore Vidal Gore Vidal Gore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...	Caroline Sanford, Blaise Sanford, Peter Sanford, James Burden Day, Clay Overbury	2000