This isn't your typical history book. Voltaire's Siècle de Louis XIV (The Century of Louis XIV) is his attempt to capture the spirit of an entire era. He organizes it not as a dry timeline, but into sections on politics, war, the arts, science, and religion. We follow Louis from his dramatic early reign to his later, more somber years. Voltaire shows us the glittering successes—the palace of Versailles, the plays of Molière, the military conquests—right alongside the brutal failures, like the persecution of Protestants. The real story is Voltaire making his case: this was one of history's four great ages of human achievement.

Why You Should Read It

You should read this because Voltaire is a fantastic guide. He's opinionated, clever, and has a sharp eye for hypocrisy. He cares less about the king's dinner menu and more about whether his policies made people's lives better or worse. He celebrates artists and thinkers as the true heroes of the age. Reading him, you get a double history lesson: one about 17th-century France, and another about how an 18th-century Enlightenment philosopher saw the world. It makes you think about how we judge power and progress today.

Final Verdict

Perfect for readers who find most history books a bit stuffy. If you enjoy ideas and arguments more than just names and dates, Voltaire is your man. It's a brilliant choice for fans of narrative history who want to go straight to the source and hear from one of history's greatest minds. Fair warning: his focus is on the 'great men' and cultural milestones, so if you're looking for deep social history about everyday people, you'll need to look elsewhere. But for a thrilling, brainy tour of a defining century, led by a master storyteller, this is it.