This volume represents a successful attempt to reinterpret the Revolution in the light of modern research. The author admittedly writes 'sociological history, ' but let me hasten to assure any who may have developed a complex against this blend that, whether because of it or in spite of it, the quality of his history is good. His treatment is judicious. His characterization are apt. His writing is clear and vigorous with often an incisive observation that puts the issue in a new light or settles some disputed point more effectively than a page of argument.