A collection of key readings and documents crucial for understanding the Old Regime and the French Revolution The University of Chicago Readings in Western Civilization series makes available to students and teachers a unique selection of primary documents, many in new translations. These readings, prepared for the highly praised Western civilization sequence at the University of Chicago, were chosen by an outstanding group of scholars whose experience teaching that course spans almost four decades. Each volume includes rarely anthologized selections as well as standard, more familiar texts; a bibliography of recommended parallel readings; and introductions providing background for the selections. Beginning with Periclean Athens and concluding with twentieth-century Europe, these source materials enable teachers and students to explore a variety of critical approaches to important events and themes in Western history. Individual volumes provide essential background reading for courses covering specific eras and periods. The complete nine-volume series is ideal for general courses in history and Western civilization sequences. John W. Boyer  is Senior Adviser to the President and the Martin A. Ryerson Distinguished Service Professor in History at the University of Chicago. A specialist in the history of the Habsburg Empire, he has written four books on Austrian history, including, most recently, Austria 1867–1955. History University of Chicago Readings The Old Regime and the French Revolution Keith Michael Baker John W. Boyer and Julius Kirshner