My Little History of France

PREFACE

Amid our frenetic, electronic age, "My Little History of France" is a welcome breath of fresh air and cut above other volumes of its kind. Expertly and yet simply written, this beautifully illustrated book is as readable for the junior reader as it is for any adult, parent, grandparent or teacher.

The author takes us on a journey from the beginning of the history of mankind, through tough feudal times, the Renaissance and onwards to revolution and the return of the monarchy and the Second Republic. The last section of the book is as captivating and fresh as the first, with many incredible documents and photos, never before seen by the public. Painstaking research and an obvious love of the subject, this work is the result of a lifetime ambition by the author to present a coherent, vibrant account of the history of her beloved France. The text is concise and complete and all times a compelling read, with a superb chronological index for reference at the back.

The book is currently available in Spanish and in a bilingual French/Spanish version. The dual language edition is ideal for a Spanish or French student of either language, since the text is mirrored page by page with French on one side and Spanish on the other. Rather than a purely academic exercise, the sensitive translation reflects the depth of meaning, focussing on the nuances that can sometimes cause confusion in translation. This makes the bilingual edition a meaningful and pleasurable learning tool as much for language as for the history right up to modern day life.

A CD will be available in the near future, with audio sections of the book in French and Spanish and soon in English too. Reading or listening to this book is both a delight and an education, making this an excellent gift to a language or French history student. The audio version, which is beautifully read by a professional actor with sensitively selected background music, is perfect for listening in the car or at home. The stories are so well told that some sections are ideal for bedtime reading, or it could be used as a classroom tool to inject renewed enthusiasm for this fascinating topic.

A full bilingual version of the book English/Spanish and English/French, will soon be published with an audio version on CD.