Wish to obtain insight into the history of France sans the tedium of wading through the copious minutiae of detailed tomes that provide you with way too many dates, let alone barely pronounceable names of people and places? Bob Fowke, in his latest ebook in the series Guides for History Travellers, may just fulfil your desire. Guide to France for History Travellers (YouCaxton Publications; ASIN: B008657Y64) provides a painless introduction to the history of this grand and imposing country in just 141 pages. With a style that disguises erudition with a lively and raconteurish approach, he supplies the reader with an overview of the illustrious nation’s history that has its first traces back in 90,000BC, up until the time of its latest bling-bling Nicholas Sarkozy (bringing the scandalous overconsumption of the French court, which is notorious for the overindulgence practised by such royals as the Sun King and Louis XVI, right up to date).
Fowke’s lighthearted approach to centuries of history enables him to convey a great deal of information without leaving his audience feeling drained of any wish to hear more. In fact, he whets the appetite, so that one tends to yearn for added details. The author has been criticised for not citing his sources, but he clearly did not wish to weigh down the smooth flow of his text with unnecessary allusions that might merely have served to alienate some of his audience. Fowke has journalistic-type banter down to a fine art, as befits a columnist for the Guardian Online. His clear intention of writing with the tourist in mind is borne across by the subtitle to this book: “The perfect travel guide and rough history for tourists who like their guides and histories short and entertaining, with travel tips on places of interest.”
In addition to the narrative text, Fowke includes guide tips for the different regions of France that are of particular relevance to the tale that he tells. He includes not only numerous amusing line drawings, but also outline maps of the areas concerned. For each section of the text, Fowke provides travel guide timelines for the period covered. Appended are a list of the rulers of France, divided up into their respective dynasties (Merovingians, Carolingians, etc.), and a list of important dates, stretching from prehistoric times up to 2002, when the Euro replaced the franc.
Bob Fowke, renowned author and illustrator, is surprisingly modest and unassuming, considering his prolific output of over sixty largely science and history books, the majority of which have been published by leading British publishers. He is also amazingly versatile, as, in addition to the previously mentioned accomplishments, he is also an entrepreneur with a keen interest in the cause of those who wish to become self-published, having started up the YouCaxton venture a year ago in order to assist fellow writers with preparing their books for self-publication.
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