Louis Jacob de Saint-Charles offered a primary-source description of the libraries of France when Mazarin dominated 17th-century politics and France was the cultural capital of Europe. Here, for the first time, Jacob's work is made available in English translation, with an introduction placing the book in the context of western intellectual history and accom- panied by a detailed scholarly commentary. Both library historians and students of French culture in the early modern period will find this book indispensable. John Warwick Montgomery isProfessor Emeritus of Law and Humanities, University of Bedfordshire, England, Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy and Christian Thought, Patrick Henry College(Virginia, U.S.A.), andDirector, International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism and Human Rights (Strasbourg, France). He holds ten earned degrees besides a Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Chicago, the Doctorat d'Universite from Strasbourg, France, and the LL.M. and LL.D. from the University of Cardiff, Wales/UK. A frequent contributor to Christianity Today, Dr. Montgomery has been honored by inclusion in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in France, and The Dictionary of International Biography. He is the author of some thirty books in the areas of theology, philosophy, and church history. He pleads cases before the European Court of Human Rights and has received the Patriarch's Medal of the Romanian Orthodox Church for his efforts in behalf of religious liberty. He is an ordained Lutheran pastor. Websites:, ."