Royal Palaces and Parks of France.

Through halls of mirrors and formal gardens stretching to the horizon, this book walks the reader among the palaces where French monarchy staged its grandeur — and where its history was made and unmade.

What it's about

Royal Palaces and Parks of France surveys the great royal residences of France and the gardens and grounds that surround them. It moves among landmarks such as Versailles, Fontainebleau and the châteaux associated with the French crown, describing their architecture, their history and the kings and courts who inhabited them. Combining travelogue with history, it treats each palace both as a work of art and as a stage on which the French monarchy played out its story.

Themes

The book is concerned with magnificence and its meanings — how architecture and landscape were made to express royal power, taste and ambition. History, art and design intertwine, and behind the splendour runs the story of the monarchy whose fortunes these buildings embodied.

Why it still matters

The palaces and parks of France remain among the most celebrated achievements of European art and landscape design. As an appreciative guide to their history and character, the book deepens any visit and rewards the armchair traveller, preserving a richly detailed picture of these enduring monuments.

Who it's for

For lovers of architecture, gardens and French history, for travellers planning to visit Versailles and the Loire, and for anyone who delights in the grandeur of palaces and the stories the great houses of France have to tell.