Nineteenth Century Europe
The Who, What, Where, When, Why and How of the (First) French Revolution
Several years ago a friend of mine was headed to Paris and asked for a recommendation of a book that would give her a clear account of the French Revolution.* Somewhat abashedly, I suggested my own book on the history of socialism which I believe gives a clear account of the various iterations of the…
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Victoria: The Novel
I don’t normally review novels here on the Margins. In fact, I seldom review novels, period. I read constantly for my work: Big Fat History Books, erudite (and sometimes not so erudite) articles, the first hand accounts on which Big Fat History Books depend.* When I read for fun, I read fiction. I try not…
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Mr. Eiffel Built More Than a Tower
Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, the engineer who designed the Eiffel Tower, reportedly said “I ought to be jealous of the tower. It is more famous than I am.” It’s probably true. Eiffel was a world-famous engineer before he made the tower that bears his name, but not for the kind of things that make a man a…
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