The closing of a century is a time of change in history and culture. This was never more true than at the end of the nineteenth century; the era now known as the "fin de siecle". Eugen Weber focuses on France in this fine history of that era. It is a history organized topically rather than chronologically. Thus Weber offers discussion of the lives of people, their way of living and the impact of technological changes. The change in political and educational patterns highlight how the old morphs into the new even in this area. Anyone interested in the arts is treated to a discussion of decadence which opens the book. There is the naturalism of writers like Zola, but also the neurosis of the age with hints of Freud and Nietzsche. Even sports is not neglected in this eclectic and always fascinating picture of the end of a century. ( )

I purchased this as a supplementary read for one of my literature classes. I found it to contain good information, but I would not recommend it to the casual reader. ( )