The French in North America 1500-1783 [Paperback]

W. J. Eccles (Author), William John Eccles (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 10, 1998

This vivid account of the crucial role played by the French in the Western Hemisphere chronicles the rise and fall of the French empire on the mainland of North America and in the West Indies, from the arrival of the Breton, Norman and Basque fisherman on the Grand Banks around 1500 to the sale of Louisiana to the United States in 1803. Professor Eccles depicts the establishment of Baroque civilization and the attempt to create a New Jerusalem in the North American wilderness, gives an account of the establishment of industries and commerce from the slave plantations of the south to the fur trade posts of the far northwest, and discusses the colonists of other European powers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 331 pages
• Publisher: Michigan State University Press; Revised edition (August 10, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870134841
• ISBN-13: 978-0870134845
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,105,385 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Admirable, December 14, 2005

By 

ct reader "logos.hfd" (ct) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The French in North America 1500-1783 (Paperback)

A worthy and rewarding history of France in North America in about 300 pages, complete with valuable statistics and scholarly documentation. It even covers the post-Colonial war to US Revolutionary victory (1763-1783).

If you don't have time for Parkman (ending at 1763, with the Conspiracy of Pontiac as an addenda), this is your book. Even if you have read Parkman, this is well worth reading.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very well documented book., April 23, 2003

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Rock Fan (Reading, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The French in North America 1500-1783 (Paperback)

I knew little about the involvement of the French in America before reading this book. I know a lot more now. Covering mainly Canada but also Lousiana and the French West Indies for almost three centuries, this book reads like a novel. Only you already know the end!

Written by a british, who leaves and teaches in Canada, this book always try not to take sides, in an history where broken promises are the norm.

I was reading this book during the war in Iraq (2003), when French bashing was a national sport in the US. Looking back in our history books allows to see that not too long ago, France was America's best ally against ... Great Britain.

4.0 out of 5 stars Un livre agréable et facile a lire., August 4, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The French in North America 1500-1783 (Paperback)

Particulierement la premiere moitié, plus intéressante que la deuxieme.

L'iconographie N&B est assez décevante: Rien ou presque avant le XVIII, et des reproductions pas de grande qualité.

La Bibliographie m'a fait bien rire, parce que l'auteur dénigre a qui mieux mieux, désignant tel livre comme partial, tel autre comme incomplet ou anecdotique, etc, etc... Et bien a lire comme ca, et surtout son commentaire de fin, plus le livre avance vers la conquete anglaise, moins Eccles me semble partial et objectif, justement. Tres pro-francais et pro-canadien. C'est d'ailleurs pourquoi je trouve la premiere moitié du livre beaucoup mieux...

Ce qui me choque aussi, c'est que toutes les références me semblent tres datées: Souvent des bouquins qui ont 10, 20, voir 30 ans et plus.

Finalement apres avoir lu ce livre, je comprends beaucoup mieux les raisons historiques, non pas d'un Québec qui aurait souhaité un rattachement a la France (vu comme ils ont été trahis par la mere patrie), mais bien d'une envie d'indépendance en bonne et du forme !