- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New edition edition (1 Dec 1994)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140239677
- ISBN-13: 978-0140239676
- Product Dimensions: 25.8 x 18.9 x 1.7 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
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- #86 in Books > History > Europe > France > French Heads of State
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Product Description
Book Description
'Gossipy account of the art, affairs and poison paranoia at Louis XIV's Versailles' The Times
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
This work takes as its subject Louis XIV at Versailles - from the moment he decided to transform his father's hunting lodge into the greatest palace in Europe to his death there 54 years later. It covers the daily life of the king, the court and the government during the period of France's apogee in military power and artistic achievement. The book discusses the plans for and the building of the palace, and the creation of remarkable elaborate works of art with which it was filled. The book reconstructs the course of Louis's love affairs, culminating in his secret marriage to Madame de Maintenon, episodes such as the affair of the poisons, the creation of the School for Girls at Saint-Cyr, Lord Portland's embassy and the marriage of the Duchess of Bourgogne.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Having enjoyed Antonia Fraser's recent book, Love and Louis XIV, I picked this up in a charity shop, and I'm very pleased I did so. Mitford's book is still respected and it is cited in Fraser's bibliography as a source.
The book occupies a centre ground between popular and adademic history; a bit heavy at times for the former (but you do get the detail you want), and a bit light for the latter (but easier to read than most specialist history texts). It also has the benefit of the author's knowledge of court life, including an amusing anecdote about her own presentation at Buckingham Palace.
If you are interested in this period of French history I warmly recomend this book.
The book occupies a centre ground between popular and adademic history; a bit heavy at times for the former (but you do get the detail you want), and a bit light for the latter (but easier to read than most specialist history texts). It also has the benefit of the author's knowledge of court life, including an amusing anecdote about her own presentation at Buckingham Palace.
If you are interested in this period of French history I warmly recomend this book.
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Nobody understood the nuances of aristocratic society better than the Mitford sisters. No aristocratic society ever had more nuances than Louis XIV's.
That background and Nancy Mitford's witty prose make her study of Louis and her court so readable that her exhaustive research and genuine scholarship may be overshadowed.
To the unitiated, Louis is a gilt and ormalu figure rather than one of the most interesting personalities in European history. Anyone new to the Louis fascination will be infected, but Mitford's biography is also deep enough for readers who know much more.
Most biographers of Louis understand how interesting, funny, and complex his personality and long life were. Mitford explains this phenonomen well, and illustrates his personality by examining Louis's family, court, and surroundings.
Mitford lived near Versailles for many years and draws from hundreds of original French documents.
That background and Nancy Mitford's witty prose make her study of Louis and her court so readable that her exhaustive research and genuine scholarship may be overshadowed.
To the unitiated, Louis is a gilt and ormalu figure rather than one of the most interesting personalities in European history. Anyone new to the Louis fascination will be infected, but Mitford's biography is also deep enough for readers who know much more.
Most biographers of Louis understand how interesting, funny, and complex his personality and long life were. Mitford explains this phenonomen well, and illustrates his personality by examining Louis's family, court, and surroundings.
Mitford lived near Versailles for many years and draws from hundreds of original French documents.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
...Look no further. Mitford knew noblesse oblige being, as she was, in the upper class department and it shows throughout this book. Her obvious research and her ability to tell a good story make this a fairly brilliant place to start to get an understanding of Louis Dieudonne.
It is not highly in-depth and lacks details ie. about Anne of Austria, Louis XIII, the wars and policies. However I think for this is Mitford deliberately choosing to stay focused on the man and what he did domestically and socially leaving Philip Erlanger et al to deal with the politics.
The style of the book is textbook. It has a large number of pictures to go with the text and is written simply and to the point. This I'm assuming is the reason my eight year old nephew read and liked it whereas if he had read Erlanger he'd have been bored. And Mitford's Sun King is certainly not boring.
It is not highly in-depth and lacks details ie. about Anne of Austria, Louis XIII, the wars and policies. However I think for this is Mitford deliberately choosing to stay focused on the man and what he did domestically and socially leaving Philip Erlanger et al to deal with the politics.
The style of the book is textbook. It has a large number of pictures to go with the text and is written simply and to the point. This I'm assuming is the reason my eight year old nephew read and liked it whereas if he had read Erlanger he'd have been bored. And Mitford's Sun King is certainly not boring.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Very readable introduction to Louis XIV
Nancy Mitford's biography of Louis XIV is rather gossipy in tone; you can almost imagine that she's writing about people she's actually met, but very readable (probably because of... Read more
Published 8 months ago by H. M. Holt
Nancy Mitford is a must
This was a very well written and witty book. I often read history books (which is, of course, useful being a history student) and they are usually pedantic, dull, and incredibly... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Felicity Dodsworth
Good book, good info, but needs more on political/wars side
A very good book on Louis XIV and the court life during the Age of the Sun King, but it would have been even better with more general, easy to understand events and political... Read more
Published on 2 Nov 1998
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