The French Mind

400 Years of Romance, Revolution and Renewal

By: Peter Watson

Write A Review

Paperback | 2 January 2023

At a Glance

Paperback
848 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
19.8 x 13.0 x 5.05

Paperback

$34.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $8.69 with

or

Aims to ship in 15 to 25 business days

When will this arrive by?
Enter delivery postcode to estimate

We are endlessly fascinated by the French. We are fascinated by their way of life, their creativity and sophistication, and even their insistence that they are exceptional. But how did France become the country it is today, and what really sets it apart?

Historian Peter Watson sets out to answer these questions in this dazzling history of France, taking us from the seventeenth century to the present day through the nation’s most influential thinkers. He opens the doors to the Renaissance salons that brought together poets, philosophers and scientists, and tells the forgotten stories of the extraordinary women who ran these institutions, fostering a culture of stylish intellectualism unmatched anywhere else in the world. It’s a story that takes us into Bohemian cafés and cabarets, into chic Parisian high culture via French philosophies of food, fashion and sex, and through two explosive revolutions.

The French Mind is a history propelled by the writers, revolutionaries and painters who loved, inspired and rivalled one another over four hundred years. It documents the shaping of a nation whose global influence, in art, culture and politics, cannot be overstated.

About the Author

Peter Watson is an intellectual historian, journalist, and the author of thirteen books, including Convergence; Ideas: A History; The Age of Atheists; The German Genius; The Medici Conspiracy; and The Great Divide.He has written for The Sunday Times, The New York Times, the Observer, and the Spectator. He lives in London.

Industry Reviews

‘Majestic, ambitious . . . [Peter Watson] deserves admiration for the grace and agility with which he interlinks the development of a vigorous cultural identity and the seismic shifts of French national history, continually lurching between triumph and disaster. Impressive enough in its scope, authority and sprightliness to leave us wondering whether a French writer could have managed the task quite as deftly’

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.

Defective items

If there is a problem with any of the items received for your order then the Booktopia Customer Care team is ready to assist you.

For more info please visit our Help Centre.

More in European History

Sword of the War God

Paperback

RRP $22.99

$20.35

11%
OFF

Gold

The true story of the discovery of gold in Australia and the shameless pretender who took the credit, from the popular author of RUM, perfect for fans of Grantlee Kieza and David Hunt

Paperback

RRP $36.99

$29.75

20%
OFF

Abandoned Women : Scottish Convicts Exiled Beyond the Seas

Looking At Women, Looking At War

Paperback

RRP $34.99

$28.50

19%
OFF

Discourses and Selected Writings

Penguin Classics

Paperback

RRP $22.99

$20.35

11%
OFF

Unruly

A History of England's Kings and Queens

Paperback

RRP $26.99

$22.80

16%
OFF

The French Mind

400 Years of Romance, Revolution and Renewal

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

More in European History

Sword of the War God

Gold

The true story of the discovery of gold in Australia and the shameless pretender who took the credit, from the popular author of RUM, perfect for fans of Grantlee Kieza and David Hunt

Abandoned Women : Scottish Convicts Exiled Beyond the Seas

Night

Penguin Modern Classics

The Journals of Captain Cook

Penguin Classics

Band of Brothers

The Remarkable Mrs Reibey

The convict who became Australia's richest businesswoman

The War on the West

How to Prevail in the Age of Unreason

The Gulag Archipelago

1918-56

Operation Mincemeat: The True Spy Story that Changed the Course of World War II

The True Spy Story that Changed the Course of World War II

Colonialism

A Moral Reckoning

Blitzed

Drugs in Nazi Germany

The Strange Death of Europe

Immigration, Identity, Islam

Say Nothing

True Story Of Murder and Memory In Northern Ireland

The Anarchy

The Relentless Rise of the East India Company

Looking At Women, Looking At War

The Catalpa Rescue

Meditations

The Annotated Edition

Introduction to Medieval Europe 300-1500

4th Edition

Unruly

A History of England's Kings and Queens

Normal Women

900 Years Of Making History

Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife

The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women

Discourses and Selected Writings

Penguin Classics

Unruly

A History of England's Kings and Queens

This product is categorised by