An Environmental History of France

McPhee’s encyclopedic knowledge of France shines through the text, with vibrant details and entertaining anecdotes from the country’s mountains to its plains to its seaside… [He] expertly connects the dots between different regional histories in order to identify and analyze key national-scale inflection points in the meaning and use of French landscapes. * American Historical Review *
‘In this masterful overview of history and the French landscape, Peter McPhee reveals the complex interconnections between nature, agriculture, political events, and climate change. It is a powerful illustration of the pressing need for governments to intervene to protect both the natural landscape and the environment.’ - Philip Dwyer, Professor, University of Newcastle, Australia
Magisterial in scope and insight, An Environmental History of France is a thrilling successor to Fernand Braudel’s illustrious Identity of France. The culmination of a long career spent exploring France’s history from the ground up, the book presents the country’s most dramatic moments of ecological change through Prof. McPhee’s signature blend of engaging detail and lucid analysis. * Kieko Matteson, Associate Professor, University of Hawai’i, USA *
‘This original book enables us to see the landscape of France with new eyes, revealing its hidden history. McPhee shows us how past mingles with present to shape the French countryside.’ * Marisa Linton, Professor Emerita in History, Kingston University, UK *
Excellent and highly informative book which is warmly recommended. * Landscape History *
Remarkable in its breadth and historical depth, McPhee’s book explores changes in the French landscape over the past 250 years, while deftly assessing the ways in which landscapes in different parts of the country were invested with contested symbolic meanings by those who inhabited it. With his vast and intimate knowledge of French history and topography, there is no historian who could be a better guide on this fascinating journey to discover how the wetlands, hillsides, vineyards and forests of France came to be what they are today. – Caroline Ford, Professor of History, University of California, USA

Peter McPhee is Honorary Professorial Fellow at The University of Melbourne, Australia. He has published widely on the history of modern France, including: A Social History of France 1789-1914 (2004); Robespierre: a Revolutionary Life (2012); and Liberty or Death: The French Revolution 1789-1799 (2016). Professor McPhee was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities in 1997 and a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia in 2003. Earlier that year he had received the Centenary Medal for services to Australian education. In 2012, McPhee was made a Member of the Order of Australia.

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