Volume 3, Number 12 · January 28, 1965
The Present in the Past
By Peter Gay
A History of French Civilization: From the Year 1000 to the Present
by Georges Duby, by Robert Mandrou, translated by James Blakely Atkinson
Random House, 626 pp., $8.95
This book is as modest in its pretensions as it is impressive in its achievement. It claims to be directed at students, foreigners, and the general public; scholars are warned off: 'Specialists in each period will learn nothing from it, and will note strange lacunae.' True, a book of 600 pages, even 600 large pages, will not offer the specialist any surprises, and may annoy him with its unavoidable omissions. But even the specialist is likely to find A History of French Civilization—an extended essay rather than a formal history—liberating, for it is cultural history at its best. That is why scholars should disregard the authors' disclaimer and read their book.
Review, 1632 words
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