The remarkable story of the French Foreign Legion, its dramatic rise throughout the nineteenth century, and its most committed champion, General Hubert Lyautey.
Jean-Vincent Blanchard is Professor of French Studies at Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. He is the author of several books published in Canada and France, as well as Éminence: Cardinal Richelieu and the Rise of France.
The author deftly captures the romance as well as the horror of
life in the French Foreign Legion. Blanchard's style, broad
knowledge of France, and scholarly research in the legion's
archives make this a detailed and fascinating book of French
history.
*Kirkus Reviews*
An entertaining, boisterous history of the French colonial project
writ large, in which the Legion, with all its faults and
contradictions, played a central role . . . Blanchard adroitly
captures the almost surreal absurdity of placing such a corps at
the spearhead of a global project promising liberté, egalité, et
fraternité.
*Publishers Weekly*
Storytelling and details are not lacking in At the Edge of the
World.
*The New York Times Book Review*
[Edith Pilaf’s] image of the moody and uncompromising Legionnaire,
attracted by the promise of ‘blood, bullets, bayonets and women in
an Arab land’ . . . gets closest to the historical and
psychological truth, as laid before us in [Jean-Vincent
Blanchard’s] gripping, disturbing and controversial account of the
Legion’s first century.
*The Daily Mail*
Jean-Vincent Blanchard dissects the facts and fiction behind the
legendary outfit in this wide-ranging, heavily researched
discussion of the history, culture, defining characteristics, and
raison d’être of the French Foreign Legion.
*Washington Independent Review of Books*
The book succinctly captures the romance and reality of the Legion.
It shows how the Legion adapted to its different missions while
confronting its challenges. At the Edge of the World shows why the
legend of the Legion endures today. I recommend this book for any
reader interested in the French Foreign Legion, the history of
French colonialism, or counterinsurgency.
*Military Review*
Well written with extensive use of memoirs and archival material,
including the stories of high-ranking officers, colonial governors,
and common soldiers. The skillful blend of these sources makes it
an enjoyable read. This is a worthy retelling of the French Foreign
Legion at the height of its fame and renown.
*Military Heritage*
Blanchard’s scholarly but entertaining book shows that the mystery
and romance associated with the legion had some basis in reality.
Blanchard uses the career of Marshal Louis-Hubert Lyautey, who was
involved in campaigns with the legion from Algeria to Indochina to
Madagascar, to explore the legion’s character, role, and
fights.
*Foreign Affairs*
Blanchard’s achievement is to bring to light the historical paradox
of the legionnaire:...The disenchanted legionnaire is himself a
byproduct of the contradictions and failures of European
modernization, yet he brazenly risks his life abroad to spread that
same project of modernity.
*America Magazine online*
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