The Story of Civilization, Volume 8: The Age of Louis XIV by Will DurantMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The near three-quarters of a century from the end of the Thirty Years War to the death of Louis XIV saw the promise of French greatness being achieved then squandered allowing Britain to rise. The Age of Louis XIV is the eighth volume of The Story of Civilization series written by Will & Ariel Durant looking into the reign of the Sun King and how the politics and intellectual though rotated around him and France.
The book centered around France with the Netherlands, England/Britain, and the intellectual revolution for most of the text as well as the interaction between all of them over the course of the decades the Durants wrote about. While the rest of Europe is discussed, especially the continual rise of Russia during the reign of Peter the Great, the Durants give a good but brief synopsis of each location when not connected with the main portions of the book. The political, religious, and cultural developments of France and England were gone over in detail not only for their own history but how it affected the rest of the world. Yet for the Durants, especially Will, the portion of the book that the reader can tell they enjoyed writing and having a hard time holding back is the intellectual revolution in science and philosophy in the latter half of the 17th century and early 18th century. Not only are there chapters dedicated to Newton, Spinoza, and Leibniz but all the English political philosophers that have had influenced thought were covered in detail as well. A thorough reader of this series can tell that there is excitement and dedication to the intellectual revolution like that of the second volume of the series, The Life of Greece.
The Age of Louis XIV sees Will and Ariel Durant detailed not only the man who dominated a Europe undergoing an intellectual revolution but how he led his nation to disaster to the benefit of Britain.
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