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The Discovery of France

Brief Description
'An extraordinary journey of discovery' - Daily Telegraph 'Pedals along with never a dull paragraph . . . dazzling' - The Sunday Times Ten years ago, I began to explore the country on which I was supposed to be an authority . . . France is... Read More
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An exciting voyage on two wheels, Graham Robb's award-winning classic offers a stunning alternative history of France.

An exciting voyage on two wheels, Robb's prize-winning classic offers a stunning alternative history of France.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

'An extraordinary journey of discovery' - Daily Telegraph

'Pedals along with never a dull paragraph . . . dazzling' - The Sunday Times

Ten years ago, I began to explore the country on which I was supposed to be an authority . . .

France is a country famous for its intellectuals, its philosophers and writers, its fashion, food and wine. And yet the notion of 'the French' as one nation is relatively recent andโ€”historically speakingโ€”quite misleading. In order to discover the true past of France, Graham Robb realized it was necessary not only to go back in time, but also to go at a slower pace than modern life generally allows. The Discovery of Franceโ€”illuminating, engrossing, and full of surprisesโ€”is the result of Robb's 14,000-mile journey across France on a bicycle.

Winner of both the Duff Cooper and the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje prizes, The Discovery of France is a modern non-fiction classic, a literary exploration of a remarkable nation. From maps and migration to magic, language and landscape, it reveals a France few will recognize.

Part of the Picador Collection, a series celebrating fifty years of Picador books and showcasing the best of modern literature.

Series: Picador Collection

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781035039197

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 08 August 2024

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Picador

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 30.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 336g

Pages: 496

About the Author

Graham Robb was born in Manchester in 1958 and is a former fellow of Exeter College, Oxford. He has published widely on French literature and history. The Discovery of France won both the Duff Cooper and Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prizes. For Parisians the City of Paris awarded him the Grande Mรฉdaille de la Ville de Paris. He lives on the English-Scottish border.

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    This is a profoundly original and entertaining history of France, from the first century BC to the present day, based on countless new discoveries and thirty years of exploring France on foot, by bicycle and in the library. Beginning with the Roman army's first recorded encounter with the Gauls and ending with the gilet jaunes protests in the era of...
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