The Cambridge Illustrated History of France (Cambridge Illustrated Histories) [Hardcover]

Colin Jones (Author), Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: Cambridge Illustrated Histories | Publication Date: January 27, 1995

In a tour de force, Colin Jones gives a gripping, superbly and intelligently illustrated account of the political, social and cultural history of France, placing an innovatory emphasis on the impact of regionalism, class, gender and race in French heritage. Ranging from prehistoric menhirs to the Pompidou Centre, from Louis XIV's Versailles to twentieth-century highrises, from Marie Antoinette to Marie Claire, The Cambridge Illustrated History of France is host to lively and penetrating new insights that take us through the shaping of France from the earliest times to the brink of a new millennium. Combining superb illustration with outstanding scholarship, the diversity of the French heritage--scientific and artistic, national and regional--is explored with an engrossing and accessible style. Special features on places, people and events, a glossary, and a further reading section enhance this engaging book that will appeal to history buffs and students of French history and culture. Colin Jones is also the author of the Longman Companion to the French Revolution and The Cultural Atlas of France.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Lavishly illustrated, filled with superb maps, this coffee-table survey of French history is a quality read....Jones captures in a lively style the historical vicissitudes, complexity, and diversity of France." Religious Studies Review

"Evenhanded, readable, with a finely calculated use of pictorial art." Philadelphia Inquirer

"Lavishly illustrated, with a striking use of photographs for the 20th century, this volume is an important work of synthesis as well as a handsome introduction to France and the French for the general reader....Scholars will also be impressed by Jones's ability to integrate the all-too-often fragmentary results of their specialized researches." Choice

"If only one title on France were to be chosen for a general library collection, it should be this....an involving, educational volume reaching high school ages and up." The Bookwatch

"Explores the diversity of the French heritage and offers insight into the formation of the modern nation in a lively history of France that combines magnificent illustration with exceptional scholarship and includes features on places, people and events." Book Alert

Book Description

In a tour de force, Colin Jones gives a gripping, superbly and intelligently illustrated account of the political, social and cultural history of France, placing an innovatory emphasis on the impact of regionalism, class, gender and race in French heritage. Ranging from prehistoric menhirs to the Pompidou Centre, from Louis XIV's Versailles to twentieth-century high-rises, from Marie Antoinette to Marie Claire--a host of lively and penetrating new insights take us through the shaping of France from the earliest times to the brink of a new millennium.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (January 27, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521432944
• ISBN-13: 978-0521432948
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #826,296 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding overview of French history, May 30, 2002

By 

Robert Moore (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Cambridge Illustrated History of France (Cambridge Illustrated Histories) (Paperback)

This is an outstanding introduction to French history and yet another excellent volume in the Cambridge Illustrated Histories series. I must admit to being somewhat confused by the two-star review it received, and especially confused by the grounds upon which it was granted only two stars. The book on the one hand is working with a preordained format, so that it will be consistent with other books in the series. On the other hand, the book is an introductory work, and excessive detail should not be expected in any introductory work. The book contains an exhaustive bibliography, and if greater detail is needed on any of the subjects discussed, one is pointed in the right direction. But as someone who has read the book from cover to cover and who did not see the need for returning it, let me firmly assert that this is a flat out magnificent introductory work.

Colin Jones does a marvelous job of balancing several aspects of history narrative in this volume. On the one hand, he does not neglect the "great men", covering all the primary and familiar figures in French history, from Charlemagne to Henry IV to Richelieu to Louis XIV to Napoleon to the present. But neither does he neglect the lives of everyday folk. He does an especially good job of discussing the status of women through France's history, a subject left out of too many general surveys. Jones also does a good job of balancing a discussion of military, economic, religious, and cultural factors from generation to generation in France. By the end of the volume, the reader will have been exposed to virtually every aspect of French history.

This is an extraordinarily handsome and well-made, large-format paperback. There are numerous full color illustrations, marvelously chosen, many with detailed asides on the subject illustrated.

In short, if you are looking for a superb introduction to French history, you will be hard pressed to do better than this volume.

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable, highly readable single volume history, March 16, 2000

By 

Gordon C. Duus (Glen Ridge, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cambridge Illustrated History of France (Cambridge Illustrated Histories) (Paperback)

As one who had never read any comprehensive history of France, I recommend this book without reservation. It covers from prehistory to today, it is well written, the illustrations are well chosen, and it is concise. A pleasure to read.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Look No Further!, March 13, 2000

By 

A French teacher (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cambridge Illustrated History of France (Cambridge Illustrated Histories) (Paperback)

Colin Jones's Cambridge Illustrated History of France is a wonderful book. I recommend it to all my students. The text is absolutely first-rate - concise and to the point, stylish, always engaging - and the illustrations are nothing short of gorgeous. If you want a quick summary of French history, here it is! With plenty of references to go further...