Six books on France and the French

Andrew Carter, an editorial assistant at Newsweek and The Daily Beast, came up with six great books on France and the French, including:

Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution
by Simon Schama

What better way to celebrate Bastille Day than with this definitive history of, well, the storming of the Bastille and the whole French Revolution? Historian and Newsweek/Daily Beast columnist Simon Schama presents a stunningly researched portrait of the turmoil. The book contains over 200 illustrations, though they are hardly necessary with Schama’s vivid narrative and fascinating research material. Anyone hoping to learn what Bastille Day is all about would do well to start here.

Read about another book on the list.

Citizens appears among the history books on the Telegraph's ultimate reading list.

Also see Howard Bloch's five best books about France.

--Marshal Zeringue