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| Vive La Revolution | 
 enlarge | Author: Mark Steel
Publisher: Scribner
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy New: £3.33
You Save: £4.66 (58%)
New (18) from £3.33
Avg. Customer Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 19210
Media: Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.9
ISBN: 0743208064
Dewey Decimal Number: 940
EAN: 9780743208062
ASIN: 0743208064
Publication Date: June 7, 2004
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New. Shipped from UK Mainland. Delivery is usually 2 - 3 working days from order by Royal Mail, International Delivery is by Airmail.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 Ideologically Motivated Rubbish December 8, 2007
1 out of 15 found this review helpful
Mark Steel, tedious media lefty bigmouth and unfunny "comedian", has written a marvelous history book aimed at stupid people. Huge sales are guaranteed since he has cunningly flattered his potential readership by telling them that knowledge of facts is unnecessary; interpretation means imposing a modern day liberal bias on historical events and foreign cultures and genuine historical learning and method should be scorned and derided because they are common amongst professional academics. He enlightens us with the knowledge that past events are better understood by adopting the intellectual approach of a Guardian columnist or Lad Mag journo.
If you hate the historical method and want to have your own modern day prejudices confirmed by a shouty amateur big mouth this is the book for you. Please give Mark Steel some of your money and remain ignorant. Get ready also for Mark's next book simply entitled "Think This!"
 Hilarious and informative, but not entirely accurate. September 5, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
It's tempting to reiterate what many reviewers have said before me - this is a very funny and informative history of the revolution. However, I have spotted one rather unfortunate error - Louis XVI was in fact Louis XV's grandson, not his son, as Mark Steel states in his description of Louis XVI's wedding night. A minor error in itself, but given this was the person heading up the losing side in the Revolution, I feel this is a rather fundamental mistake.
A history book I read till the end! August 9, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I buy a lot of non-fiction books that sit on my shelves looking interesting but going unread, or that I start and then drift away from. The best thing I can say for this book is that I picked it up and read it from start to finish with very little deviation in between. It is interesting and witty. I learnt about the French Revolution and enjoyed the experience - wa-hey!
 Read this and rekindle your enthusiasm for history. October 17, 2006
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
The study of history is important because it places modern day events in context and allows us to make better judgements. It is also full of fascinating characters and stories that are exciting, funny, inspiring, saddening and prescient.
So why was I so bored with History at school? Part of the answer is that the relevance of history becomes more obvious as we ourselves gain some experience of life. But the way that history is (or was) taught as a series of facts failed to convey the fascinating emotional and social aspects at its heart.
Mark Steel's genius lies in comedy and by continuously drawing parallels between the events of the French revolution and modern politics and society (with a UK bias) he will have you laughing out loud from the first page. He tells the story at a fast pace and with plenty of emphasis on the personalities involved. Along the way he debunks the lazy assumptions relied upon by certain conventional historians and passionately argues his case that the revolution is worthy of a balanced re-examination.
Highly recommended.
A very, very funny look at the French Revolution. April 12, 2006
3 out of 8 found this review helpful
Mark Thomas is unashamedly left wing, and the main reason for his writing this book was that he wants to right a perceived wrong - he wants to tell the readers why he thinks that the French revolution was a broadly good thing and why he feels that those who critisise the socialists and the anti-monarchists have bent the truth (and occasionaly lied) to distort history.If you don't like politics, or you don't want to hear his point of view, then this book will never be for you. If you have some sympathy for his point of view, or if you can enjoy hearing someone else's view of the facts, then this book is without a doubt the funniest history book you'll find. Anyone who reads his newspaper articles, seen him on TV or heard him on the radio will know what to expect. His trademark frustration and anger come through well and the intensity is kept up throughout. His love of totally inappropriate modern day analogies for anyone who he believes has been wrongly judged by history shines through again and again, and right up until the end he keeps up this relentless pace. Ultimately, even if you don't agree with his viewpoints you will be challenged and enlightened by Steel's efforts to show a side of the revolution that is rarely seen.
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