I checked the booklist! (All I saw was a book that sounded interesting about the life of peasants in 16th century France, and then a long list of Revolutionary and Napoleonic era books.)
I’ve recently fallen absolutely in love with Dumas’s d’Artagnan romances; so much so that I’ve been inspired to learn all I can about the era he covers (1625 - 1673) so that I will have a better grasp when I read them again (knowing already that he takes quite a few liberties, even when it comes to what wars were being fought at the time).
I’m looking for the best books that cover the era, though of course anything that sets the stage for the time would be absolutely welcome.
I’m afraid I can’t narrow it down any further, as I really would love to learn more about all aspects of the time and place: social, political, military… all would be enthusiastically welcome.
I do not speak French, so I’m afraid primary sources won’t help me much, I’ll have to stick to English.
Thanks very much for your help.
Fine! I'll make my own thread with Vingt-et-un and dames de la nuit.
I searched for college courses covering French history and, specifically, those looking at the Ancien Regime. I found some books, but had no idea about their quality, so I reached out to one of the professors and they graciously offered some suggestions.
I'm sharing them here in case someone stumbles across this thread in the future:
The Oxford Handbook of the Ancien Regime, Boyle
The French Peasantry in the Seventeenth Century, Pierre Goubert
The Ancien Regime: French Society, 1600-1750, Pierre Goubert
Early Modern France, Robin Briggs, classic survey, mostly 17th century
The State in Early modern France, James Collins, mostly political history
A Social and Cultural History of Early Modern France, William Beik, this book covers a broad sweep, but he’s truly an authority on the 17th century. If you enjoy it, the book he’s particularly well known for is Absolutism and Society in Seventeenth-Century France. He also has a book about urban protest in the 17th century.
The Return of Martin Guerre, and Women on the Margins, Natalie Zemon Davis, focus on women and gender
The Great Nation: France from Louis XV to Napoleon, Colin Jones, (second half of 18th century)