Chronicle of the French Revolution, 1788-1799

This book was what actually got me interested in studying the French Revolution. While it is basically a picture encyclopedia, it has fabulous pictures and newspaper-article like text that really gets a good deal of information across, not just about the revolution itself, but also life besides the revolution. This large book covers the most tumultuous years of the revolution (1788 - 1799) and is very detailed. It is an engrossing book that is certainly historic, but also fun to browse through. It is not like a real history book, but it is no less informative, and most people will find it much more entertaining. While I wish it started a year or two earlier in its documentation, this is still a very good book, in particular if you are just starting to get interested in the French Revolution.

Ok, first of all, I'm 13 (almost 14) and I love the French Revolution. Unfortunatly since I'm not as old as most of the dedicated scholars on this subject, I really don't understand a word they write. This book is nice because it has lots of good pictures- anyone doing a report, this is a good book for you!- and it has language that us little people use. It makes sense of all the court scandals and the problems with the bourgeois and aristos. Plus! it gives a discription of the main players in the revolution which is invaluable, at least for me, because most books just expect you to know who Jacques Necker and Princess de Lamballe are, and if everyone expects you to know who they were, how can one find out anything? So, if you're interested in French history get this book (Or, since it's pretty expensive and out of print, rent it at the library. (if the public library doesn't have it, the university does. but wait! I'm talking to educated peoples here, they'll already know that!)) it's a good investment. :-)