In this, the Ninth Volume in the classic "Story of Civilization" series, Dr. Will & Ariel Durant have compiled a massive historical examination of France and England in the first-half of the Eighteenth Century.

At over >800 pages, the reader is treated to a vivid recount of: The English ideas that inspired an Enlightenment in France. The Salons of Paris. The philosophies of both nation states. Voltaire! The Augustan Age. The decay of absolute monarchy. Diderot, Helvetius, and Holbach, compilers of the first encylopedia.

Written to stand alone, or as part of the series, the Durants have written a smooth prose of unparalleled historical accuracy to be enjoyed by professional and layperson alike! I rate it as five stars as a part of the Durant's Magnum Opus known as "The Story of Civilization."