History of France : History : By period : Early and medieval to 1515 : 476-1328. Merovingians. Carlovingians. Capetians

Using a wide variety of sources, including detailed court records and hundreds of depositions of witnesses and suspects, Jill Harsin examines revolutionary republicanism in France during the violent underground movement of the July 1848 Monarchy, and describes these events in vivid detail. more...

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On Christmas morning in the year 800, Pope Leo III placed the crown of imperial Rome on the brow of a Germanic king named Karl. With one gesture, the man later hailed as Charlemagne claimed his empire and forever shaped the destiny of Europe. Becoming Charlemagne tells the story of the international power struggle that led to this world-changing event. Illuminating an era that has long been overshadowed by legend, this far-ranging book shows how the Frankish king and his wise counselors built an empire not only through warfare but also by careful diplomacy. With consummate political skill, Charlemagne partnered with a scandal-ridden pope, fended off a ruthless Byzantine empress, nurtured Jewish communities in his empire, and fostered ties with a famous Islamic caliph. For 1,200 years, the deeds of Charlemagne captured the imagination of his descendants, inspiring kings and crusaders, the conquests of Napoléon and Hitler, and the optimistic architects of the European Union. In this engaging narrative, Jeff Sypeck crafts a vivid portrait of Karl, the ruler who became a legend, while transporting readers far beyond Europe to the glittering palaces of Constantinople and the streets of medieval Baghdad. Evoking a long-ago world of kings, caliphs, merchants, and monks, Becoming Charlemagne brings alive an age of empire building that continues to resonate today. more...

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What did it mean to call someone 'eccentric' in 19th-century Paris? Drawing on etiquette manuals, fashion magazines, newspapers, novels, and psychiatric treatises, this interdisciplinary study illuminates figures of Parisian modernity, from the courtesan and Bohemian to the female dandy and circus freak. - ;What did it mean to call someone 'eccentric' in nineteenth-century Paris? And why did breaking with convention arouse such ambivalent responses in middle-class readers, writers, and spectators? From high society to Bohemia and the demi-monde to the madhouse, the scandal of nonconformism provoked anxiety, disgust, and often secret yearning. In a culture preoccupied by the need for order yet simultaneously drawn to the values of freedom and innovation, eccentricity. continually tested the boundaries of bourgeois identity, ultimately becoming inseparable from it. This interdisciplinary study charts shifting French perceptions of the anomalous and bizarre from the 1830s to the fin de si--egrave--;cle, focusing on three key issues. First, during the July Monarchy eccentricity was linked to. fashion, dandyism, and commodity culture; to many Parisians it epitomized the dangerous seductions of modernity and the growing prestige of the courtesan. Second, in the aftermath of the 1848 Revolution eccentricity was associated with the Bohemian artists and performers who inhabited 'the unknown Paris', a zone of social exclusion which middle-class spectators found both fascinating and repugnant. Finally, the popularization of medical theories of national decline in the latter part of the. century led to decreasing tolerance for individual difference, and eccentricity was interpreted as a symptom of hidden insanity and deformity. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including etiquette manuals, fashion magazines, newspapers, novels, and psychiatric treatises, the study highlights the. central role of gender in shaping perceptions of eccentricity. It provide more...

Price: $110.00

Looking for a travel guide that goes where other guides fear to tread? One that rides roughshod over ad-copy puffery to smartly deliver the real scoop on a destination's sites and attractions? One that dares to be honest, hip, and fun? Look no more. Frommer's Irreverent Travel Guides are wickedly irreverent, unabashedly honest, and downright hilarious, and provide an insider's perspective on which attractions are overrated tourist traps and which are the secret gems that locals love. You'll get the lowdown on restaurants, lodging, and shopping, and even find out what the locals think of you. "Like being taken around by a savvy local," said the New York Times . "Hipper and savvier than other guides," concurred Diversion magazine. Never shy about confronting the issues, the Irreverents are guides to real travel in the real world. The City of Lights has never been viewed with more humor, honesty, and style than it is in Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Paris , which presents the insiders' Paris, blemishes and all. Get the lowdown on where the real artists hang out, where to find atmospheric and affordable bistros, and how to uncover treasures in the city's famous flea markets. Find out how the French smoke and drink their way through meals and still look trè³ stylin'. And what's behind this mass lovefest for Jerry Lewis anyway? No other travel guide so deftly and wittily deconstructs the French penchant for posturing; on the other hand, no other guide offers such incisive takes on the old-fashioned 19th-century heart that beats beneath all that attitude. With Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Paris , you'll have the smartest, funniest, hippest companion guide to a complex and magical destination. more...

Price: $12.99

Experience a place the way the locals do. Enjoy the best it has to offer. Frommer's. Your trip begins with us. Ways to Explore the City of Light from the top of La Tour Eiffel to the infamous catacombs. Outspoken opinions on what's worth your time and what's not. more...

Price: $16.99