Old Regime France: 1648-1788 (Short Oxford History of Europe) [Paperback]

William Doyle (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 12, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0198731299 | ISBN-13: 978-0198731290

The years between the Fronde and the French Revolution were the longest period of calm in French history. For much of it, France dominated the international scene in Europe and made efforts to achieve a comparable role in the wider world. Meanwhile, French cultural achievements set standards imitated everywhere. This volume, bringing together an international team of contributors, surveys the full variety of the period on its own terms rather than as a mere prelude to later revolutionary upheavals.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

William Doyle has been Professor of Historical Studies at the University of Bristol since 1986, and is a Fellow of the British Academy. He is author of Origins of the French Revolution (3rd edition, 1999), The Oxford History of the French Revolution (1989), Venality. The Sale of Offices in eighteenth century France (1996), and Jansenism (2000).

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (July 12, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198731299
• ISBN-13: 978-0198731290
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #832,993 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise, readable, informative, March 11, 2010

By 

Bruce Brocka (Quad Cities) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Old Regime France: 1648-1788 (Short Oxford History of Europe) (Paperback)

This work is part of a series on France, and part of a series on major European nations. It would seem to be aimed at the undergraduate, yet avoids being pedantic. As an avid armchair historian, I found this work, like the others in the series, to be engaging, highly readable, with only a minimum of the too common judgemental hindsight one finds in current scholarship. While written by multiple authors, each have read the others sections, keeping ommissions and repetitions to a blissful minomum. The introduction and conclusion are written by the primary author, and a useful appendix consisting of maps, chronology, and an indicative "further reading" section. Because of the editorial oversight, it reads as a coherent work. Not strictly a narrative of political events, it provides a much broader feel of what it meant to be living in that period, which I find prefereable over the "and then this happenned" series of linear political and military events.

If you're starting from scratch, I'd recommend perusing a broader survey first, like the The Cambridge Illustrated History of France for overall context first. For those that prefer detailed narratives that read like a novel, pick up Nancy Mitford's The Sun King. Overall, this Goldilocks found this book to be just right!