Echard's dictionary is an exciting contribution to the knowledge of historical and cultural events of the Second Empire. . . . Echard has produced a valuable dictionary. Choice

Few nations have such a long and rich history as France. This indispensible volume covers political, economic, and cultural milestones throughout its long and fascinating history. From Gothic cathedrals to rap and hip-hop, France is at the intersection of the worlds of Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, and it continues to renew the democratic model of politics. Having weathered the storms of the first half of the 20th century, France has helped to curb the recent global march of right-wing nationalism, while economically France ranks among the U.S., China, Japan, Germany, and Great Britain as one of the most powerful economies in the world. The History of France is up-to-date and concise yet comprehensive, offering a readers a current, narrative history of France. Engagingly written for students and general readers alike, it brings to life the compelling history of this fractious and fascinating country. Chronological chapters examine the history of France through the first year and a half of Emmanuel Macron's presidency. A timeline and appendix of Significant Individuals round out the work.

From the construction of Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower to the Fall of the Bastille and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen to NapolZon Bonaparte's defeat at Waterloo to Albert Camus' L'Etranger and the existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre, France has been a part of some of the greatest and most memorable events in human history. Author Gino Raymond relates the history of these events in the second edition of the Historical Dictionary of France. Through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on kings, politicians, authors, architects, composers, artists, and philosophers, a thorough history of France is presented.

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 of a New Order and the deep strain of national paranoia that was to be intensified by the dramatic debacle of the Franco-Prussian War. Robert Tombs then investigates the structures of power and in Part Three he turns his attention to social identities, from the individual and family to the nation at large. When every aspect of the period has been put under the microscope, Robert Tombs draws them all into the broad political narrative that brings the book to its rousing conclusion. Bursting with life as well as learning, this is, quite simply, a tour de force.

Fully annotated and completely updated—the most comprehensive guide to reference books in the field of history. Reference Sources in History catalogs atlases, encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, sourcebooks, bibliographies, and chronologies and makes sense of it all. Its broad scope and systematic organization make it an accessible, reliable resource for experienced and inexperienced researchers alike. Fully annotated and updated, the new edition summarizes hundreds of reference works on every conceivable subject in history—from ancient to modern, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. This edition also reflects the dramatic impact of the digital revolution on historical research by integrating a wide range of Internet and CD-ROM sources. Reference Sources in History is a time-saving alternative to searching the reference stacks or getting lost in an online thicket of dubious historical websites.

"Three years spent in France, during the 'Second Empire' of Napoleon III, gave Henry James an early mastery of the French language and its literature. When he settled in Europe, as an adult, it was not in Britain but, briefly yet crucially, in Paris. This study identifies the 'missing link' in the history of James's literary engagement with France, between Balzac, revered throughout his career, and later French writers. It was Second Empire writers who spurred James's own contribution to the novel. While realism courted official displeasure, culminating in the prosecution of Flaubert's Madame Bovary, and closure of the radical Revue de Paris which serialized it, the conservative Revue des Deux Mondes (to which James subscribed) enjoyed imperial approval. James remained indebted to the authors published in its pages - Edmond About, Victor Cherbuliez, and Octave Feuillet - to his close friend Paul Bourget, and to the era's greatest playwright, Alexandre Dumas fils."