Louis XI of France, the subject of this immensely absorbing biographical novel, was forced to struggle against odds that would have broken ordinary men. Feared and hated by his father, opposed by the decadent nobility, driven by his own consuming ambition and cursed with a misshapen body that lodged a terrifying malady, Louis had good reason to despair, but this he never did. Instead he exhibited great and constant personal courage, sagacity and a fervent idealism which, in this violent era, the end of the Middle Ages, made him the herald of a new and better era, a glorious dawn that would be called the Renaissance. The blue cloth binding has dark spots at the bottom from the previous cover over the jacket. That cover has been replaced. The DJ has been clipped on the inside front flap, dark spots on the back come from the former cover and there are a few other spots, and there is a 1 1/2" tear at the top rear spine. This book was rescued from a patient library that was closing and has little wear. There are tape spots on the inside, along with a library envelope and a small note glued in that requests the reader to return the book when leaving the hospital. There are a few library stamps and some black on the back page, also from the former cover. 403 pages. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.

True Story History Renaissance Historical Fact