The Evolution of an Empire

The accession of a Protestant King was hailed with delirious joy by the Huguenots, and with corresponding rage by Catholic France. The one looked forward to redressing of wrongs and avenging of injuries; and the other flatly refused submission unless Henry should recant his heresy, and become a convert to the true faith.
-from Chapter IX

American writer MARY PLATT PARMELE (1843-1911) believed that in the typically dry presentation of her day, the reading of history was a "dreary task," and so she set out to remedy that with a series of sprightly chronicles of the past and accounts of the present that encompassed the essential facts necessary for appreciating the state of the world as she saw it.

With this 1894 book, an abridgement of her A Brief Historical Sketch of France, she outlines for American readers the evolution and the revolution of France, a reminder to those familiar with her story and a basis for students to begin expanding their scholarship.

From the "hideous orgies" of the earliest Celtic tribes of Gaul to the allied camps Europe was drawing itself ominously into as the 20th century was about to dawn, this is a concise retelling of the tale of a country that has shared America's dreams of liberty. As Parmele herself said, "A little, thoroughly comprehended, is better than much imperfectly remembered and understood."

OF INTEREST TO: readers of European and classical history

Parmele's books available from Cosimo Classics include:
* The Evolution of an Empire: A Brief Historical Sketch of the United States
* A Brief Historical Sketch of France
* A Short History of Germany
* A Short History of Spain
* A Short History of Rome and Italy
* A Short History of England, Ireland and Scotland