"The work as a whole makes clear the passions that have driven Merriman's work."—Jill Harsin, H-France
"The work of Merriman over the past half century, like that of his social history colleagues, has enriched our study of the past enormously and, as these essays suggest, we have good cause to celebrate his achievement."—Malcolm Crook, French History
“This beautiful collection charts John Merriman’s trajectory from graduate student to one of our finest historians. Merriman’s brilliant autobiographical reflection is both evocative and hilarious; it is imbued with his conviction that the best social history is infused with first-hand, subtle familiarity with place and culture.”—Peter McPhee, emeritus professor and former provost of the University of Melbourne
“Leave it to John Merriman to treat us to his personal and remarkable tour de France, which has taken him from Paris to Limoges to Perpignan to Balazuc and back. To join Merriman on his tour is to smell, touch, and taste the earthy terroir that has created Francophiles for generations.”—James B. Collins, professor of history at Georgetown University and author of The State in Early Modern France
