First Published in 2004. The ideas of the Enlightenment and belligerent royal officials critically influenced the French Revolution, but how did an entire generation learn about such ideas prior to the Revolution? Jack R. Censer's achievement in this volume is to marshal a vast literature in order to provide a coherent and original interpretation of the role of the French Press in the dissemination of social and political ideas in the years leading up to the Revolution. Censer also explores the relationship between journalists and government officials and unearths a range of sophisticated censorship techniques employed by the government to keep Bad News off the front pages. In a field dominated by specialized studies but few generalizations, The French Press in the Age of Enlightenment provides a bold synthesis regarding the periodical press from mid-century to the Revolution.

About the Author
Jack R. Censer is Professor of History at George Mason University. His most recent publications include The French Revolution and Intellectual History (1989), and he is series editor of Rewriting Histories.

Reviews

`Censer's book is a felicitous blend of comprehensive reading of secondary sources and his own research. ... Blending perceptive synthesis and original research, The French Press in the Age of the Enlightenment will instruct and challenge readers for many years to come.' - Harvey Chisick Haifa University

`The author offers a beautiful synthesis profiting from his own research and numerous works on the Old Regime press ...' -Nouvelles du Livre Ancien
`Un livre magistral.' - John Schosler, Lias: Sources and Documents Relating to the Early Modern History of Ideas

`Censer's book is a felicitous blend of comprehensive reading of secondary sources and his own research. ... Blending perceptive synthesis and original research, The French Press in the Age of the Enlightenment will instruct and challenge readers for many years to come.' - Harvey Chisick Haifa University

Book Information
ISBN 9780415097307
Author Jack Censer
Format Hardback
Page Count 276
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 612g