books
The Second Empire has traditionally been regarded as a short, repressive regime which was ultimately bound to fail; but now it has come to be seen as one of the key moments in the development of modern France. Dr Smith argues that the impetus given by the Second Empire to all aspects of French life [...]
Bresler, a lawyer, journalist, and author of Lord Goddard: A Biography of Rayner Goddard, Lord Chief Justice of England, opens this book with an attack on members of the “academic Mafia” who write boring books that are little read. Then he declares that here he’s aiming for a broad readership–which he’s likely to get. This [...]
On June 17, 1940 William L. Shirer stood in the streets of Paris and watched the unending flow of gray German uniforms along its boulevards. In just six lovely weeks in the spring and summer of 1940 a single battle brought down in total military defeat one of the world’s oldest, greatest, and most civilized [...]
Providing a chronological framework of France and the Third Republic, this text concentrates on the threats to the survival of the Third Republic and the reasons why they were overcome. The Paris Commune, the failure of the monarchists, Boulanger, Panama and the Dreyfus case are all discussed. The text is part of the “Access to [...]
An essential introduction to the major political problems, debates and conflicts which are central to the history of the Third Republic in France from 1870 to 1940. The Third Republic in France, 1870-1940 provides an engrossing first-hand account of life in this defining period of French history. This book provides original sources, detailed commentary and [...]
In Napoleon III and the French Second Empire, Roger D. Price considers the mid-century crisis which provided Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte with the opportunity to gain elective office as President. The author outlines the objectives of Napoleon III and provides a historiographical review of the ruler and his regime; details of changing historical attitudes to the period; [...]
Here is an incomparably rich portrait of France in the years when the disparate elements that made up the fragmented kingdom of the ancien regime were forged into the modern nation. The survey begins with an exploration of national obsessions and attitudes. It considers the tendency to revolution and war, the preoccupation with the idea [...]
This fascinating, authoritative history describes the great political, economic, cultural, and social events that have defined the period, from the convulsive establishment of a French republic to the apotheosis of French national culture in World War I, from the acrimonious failure of the 1930s and the Occupation to France’s resurgence as a central focus of [...]
This delightful little volume is a compilation of articles written for American troops bound for France in World War One. While their effect on the average doughboy may be questionable, they give a powerful and invaluable insight into one of the most perceptive minds of the age. Wharton, in her most engaging and always readable [...]
This controversial book avoids romantic images of baguettes and berets, and cuts to the quick with criticisms about the state of France today. Most of the book is devoted to a rant about France’s unrealistic ideals, problems in society and, in particular, today’s politics. While you may not agree with everything in this book, it [...]
Agnès Varda (France, 1954). Made on a shoestring budget in a small fishing village, Varda’s first feature helped usher in the French New Wave. Agnès Varda (France, 1965). Varda’s strikingly colorful, lyrical film examines a love triangle within a circular structure.
His prestigious commissions in New York, Paris, London, Venice, and Marrakech blend Oriental and North African influences with Western styles, from rococo opulence to modern chic. But, remarkably, Grange is not afraid to strip everything away, and to make space itself the main focus of a room. Always balancing virtuoso flourishes with tasteful understatement, Grange’s [...]