The Age of Louis XIV

Reviewing this book would be a monumental task, as I discovered when I sat down to attempt the same. The notes/highlights themselves have an estimated reading time of 86 minutes - to be able to build a cohesive narrative out of those scribbles and do justice to this masterpiece would be a fool's errand - and yet this is only the first 10% of the whole series. Oh my!

Until I get around to do that, please take my word for its brilliance and make some time to read it.

Perhaps one of the most interesting periods in European history, this book focuses on the latter half of the 18th century. From the reigns of "enlightened" monarchs like Catherine the Great and Frederick the Great, the lives of the later Philosophes like Voltaire and Rousseau, and the birth of the romantic movement and the American Revolution (from the English perspective), the effects of this period are so far-reaching into modern life, it would be hard to be indifferent to this history. As always Will and Ariel focus on all aspects of society, from politics and philosophy to lifestyle and art, painting a vivid picture of what was like to live in the period. Perhaps this was one of my favorite in the series since I was more interested in the biographies, but regardless, 5/5 highly recommended.

Extremely dense in information though a great presentation. Even if history is not really my passion it's good to learn so much about these roots of our modern civilization.