The Bourbons: The History of a Dynasty

"Shennan (emer., Lancaster Univ.), known for his books on early modern France, particularly his work on the Parlement of Paris, combines erudition and brevity in this overview of the Bourbon dynasty from Henry IV through Louis XVI...The result is a successful, if traditional, approach to the reigns of France's well-known monarchs, bound together by an overall theme: the conflict between proprietorial kingship (the king as owner of his realm and head of a family business, supported by family members and great nobles) and custodial kingship (the king as chief executive officer responsible to the nation, not privileges orders, and supported by a professional, nonvenal bureaucracy)...Overall, a skilful summary of the major themes in early modern kingship, designed for upper-division students...Summing Up: Recommended." D.C. Baxter, CHOICE, March 2008, Vol. 4545, No. 7 --Sanford Lakoff