The author of this book is a famous historian and biographer who passionately loves France and has devoted many years to its study. Most historians have focused their attention on Paris, the capital of a centralized state that concentrated all political, economic and cultural achievements. G. Robb is passionate about a different task. Having traveled the length and breadth of France, visiting its farthest corners, he changes the usual ideas about the country with the help of a huge research material, starting with pre-Roman Gaul and ending with the beginning of the 20th century - and all this in the form of fascinating short stories about the little-known and famous throughout the world. world of historical events and characters. He brilliantly achieves his goal - to open up a previously unknown France to the reader.