Paul Lacroix (1806–1884)

This is an interesting and quite massive book, originally written in the mid-19th-century, that attempts a comprehensive overview of French society, customs, and costumes from roughly 1700 to 1789. It is lavishly illustrated with old woodcuts throughout. I found the book easy to read, though it did seem to go on forever, as large a volume as it is. I did find the content biased toward the peculiarities of court, with much less on the bourgeois and very little at all on the lower classes; I do wish it had been more even in that regard, though I understand that many readers would be more interested in the glamour.

This will be a good book to keep around for reference. My edition is a hardcover former library book published in 1963. It has seen some use and abuse, and will see more yet!… (more)