Fran ois Racine de Monville (1734-1797), a virtuoso musician, sportsman, architect and epicurean, was a quintessential representative of the French Enlightenment, a luminary among a constellation of luminaries. Unlike many of his contemporaries, however, Monsieur de Monville fell into oblivion. The author has conducted extensive research to paint a portrait of Monville and place him in the context of the political, social and artistic movements...