"Neat and thought-provoking."—Financial Times

Christopher Prendergast describes the storming of the decrepit Bastille fortress-prison on July 14, 1789, which symbolically marked the beginning of the French Revolution.

Brilliantly and engagingly written, he shows how the celebration of this extraordinary day, truly one that shaped the world, became part of the fabric of French national life.

Christopher Prendergast is professor emeritus at the University of Cambridge.