LOUIS XIV AND TWENTY MILLION FRENCHMEN

by Louis Goubert ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 22, 1970

Professor Goubert's book is, as its title indicates, the story not only of the Roi Soleil, but also of France under the rule, and in the hands, of that monarch. It therefore devotes considerable space to the social and economic life of the kingdom, as well as to the events which reflected first France's apotheosis, and then her decline, in the almost three-quarters of a century that Louis reigned. Unfortunately, the intellectual life of the realm does not receive comparable treatment--a lack which may be justified, but not excused, on the basis that this work is intended for the general reader rather than for the scholar. Still, Goubert's work has much to commend it and to distinguish it from other volumes on the subject. From the standpoint of scholarship, it is far superior, for example, to Durant's successful Age of Louis XIV; and in style and readability it surpasses Wolf's Louis XIV, though it is understandably inferior to the latter in depth and breadth of treatment. All things considered, it is safe to recommend the work as the best book available on the subject for the educated layman.

Pub Date: April 22, 1970

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Pantheon

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1970

Categories: NONFICTION