Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 246
•
Trim: 6⅜ x 9½
978-0-7425-3399-8 • Hardback • December 2008 • $117.00 • (£90.00)
978-0-7425-3400-1 • Paperback • December 2008 • $49.00 • (£38.00)
978-0-7425-5718-5 • eBook • December 2008 • $46.50 • (£36.00)
James R. Farr is professor of history at Purdue University.
Introduction
Chapter 1: Peasants
Chapter 2: The Menu Peuple (The "Lesser Folk")
Chapter 3: Artisans
Chapter 4: Merchants, Large and Small
Chapter 5: The Professions: Medical Practitioners, Men of the Law, and Government Officials
Conclusion
An exceptionally rich area of early modern European history, the history of work in France, has received its due in a fine synthesis by James Farr, himself a master in the field. . . . Farr provides a thorough and thoughtful survey of the literature, highlighting important recent work and skillfully integrating the specialized findings of French labor history with the broader concerns of early modern history.
— Journal of Modern History
This exceptional book fully deserves the wide audience of scholars and students to which it is addressed. . . . For scholars and teachers, Work of France offers a powerful interpretive model; for their students, a lively and handsomely written introduction to the society and culture of premodern Europe.
— Sixteenth Century Journal
A broad-ranging, powerfully argued, and innovative account of the world of work and its relationship to the key transformations of the early modern centuries. It succeeds on many levels—as a lively and accessible introduction to the early modern world for undergraduates and as a provocative interpretative framework for scholars.
— Julie Hardwick, University of Texas at Austin
Includes a broad range of the social spectrum in its analysis of the nature and meaning of work
Interprets the meaning of work through the culture within which it is embedded
An ideal supplement for courses on early modern Europe, the history of France, and labor history
Authored by the leading scholar in the field
Presents an integrated understanding of the multifaceted problem of labor in its many forms
Highlights the cultural aspects of economic change
Offers a clear and engaging synthesis of work in early modern France