Wonders of Man Versailles HC Newsweek Christopher Hibbert 1978

Description

Versailles, Hardcover
by Christopher Hibbert, Editors Of Newsweek

Illustrated with Color and BW photographs. Includes Chronology of French History, Family Tree of the Royal Houses of France, Guide to the Chateaux of France, and a Selected Bibliography.

Publisher- W.W. Norton
Hardcover- 176 pages
ISBN-10 0882250167

I embarked upon Hibbert’s Versailles immediately after returning from a trip to France in which we had visited the palace. I loved the book! It recounts the history of the chateau, the details of its construction through various phases, and engineering problems such as that of bringing in tremendous amounts of water to power the massive fountains.

It describes the incredible costs in labor and national resources to create what is now one of France’s premier national treasures. But the book was perhaps even more interesting in its tales of the the huge courtly community and the monarchs they served.

Included are the abundant romantic intrigues and scandals which also found a home at Versailles, the bizarre court ritual of daily life, and ultimately the tragedy of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette with the advent of the French Revolution. As one might expect, there are wonderful glossy photos of the modern structure and interiors, but also paintings drawings, diaries, family trees, timelines and more to illustrate this fascinating account of a vanished world.

0-88225-016-7

Minor wear to dust jacket. Slight yellowing to page edges. Binding is good.