William Stearns Davis

A History of France from the Earliest Times to the Treaty of Versailles (1919) William Stearns Davis

A History of France from the Earliest Times to the Treaty of Versailles This is a comprehensive history of France from the beginning to the end of World War I. From the preface: "This book was originally intended for members of the American army who naturally would desire to know something of the past of the great French nation on whose soil they expected to do battle for Liberty. The happy but abrupt close of the war vitiated this purpose, but the volume was continued and was extended on a somewhat more ambitious scale to assist in making intelligent Americans in general acquainted with the history of a country with which we have established an ever-deepening friendship. During the war period, when this task was begun, it seemed possible at first to take some elementary history of France in the French language, translate the same, and present it to new readers in a suitable American dress. This soon appeared impracticable, but certain French manuals were extremely helpful in preparing this work. This is true of the well-known Histoire de la civilisation française by M. Alfred Rambaud, and even more particularly of the three admirable volumes of M. Albert Malet's Histoire de France, which, taken consecutively, form a national history for use in secondary schools superior possibly to any similar books wherein English or American students learn the story of their own respective countries France from the Earliest Times