France

Reviewing this excellent book on French history for the layperson makes me feel inadequate to the task - it is that good. What can one say about the best, but superlatives. You will want to read this at one sitting, but unless you read very, very fast you must try to pace yourself. It is that engrossing. This is a thorough, but not pedantic, history of the largest country in Europe. From prehistoric times before the end of the last ice age, to the end of the twentieth century, a great people and a beautiful language developed under the anvil of continual challenges. It is true, this is something of a 'coffee table' book; but it is quite meaty. I meant by that gratuitous remark, that it is well illustrated but not in a way that detracts from the excellent text. The author is an expert in his field, be sure of that. Reading this book is a great adventure; you won't think the same about the French nation after this.

This is an excellent book for those interested in learning about French history. Very readable, with wonderful illustrations and side pieces. I wish my textbooks had been like this when I was in school!

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.

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.

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...