Tocqueville: The Ancien Régime and the French Revolution

This translation of an undisputed classic aims to be both accurate and readable.

Jon Elster (Edited by), Arthur Goldhammer (Translated by)

9780521718912, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 20 June 2011

320 pages
21.8 x 14.5 x 3 cm, 0.39 kg

This translation of an undisputed classic aims to be both accurate and readable. Tocqueville's subtlety of style and profundity of thought offer a challenge to readers as well as to translators. As both a Tocqueville scholar and an award-winning translator, Arthur Goldhammer is uniquely qualified for the task. In his Introduction, Jon Elster draws on his recent work to lay out the structure of Tocqueville' argument. Readers will appreciate The Ancien Régime and the French Revolution for its sense of irony as well as tragedy, for its deep insights into political psychology and for its impassioned defense of liberty.

Introduction Jon Elster
Foreword
Book I
Book II
Book III.

Subject Areas: Political ideologies [JPF], Political science & theory [JPA], History of ideas [JFCX], European history [HBJD]