Foreward by Bryce Lyon
Preface by Lucien Febvre
Introduction
Bibliographical Orientation
I. The Main Stages in the Occupation of the Soil
II. Agrarian Life
III. The Seigneurie down to the Crisis of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries
IV. Changes Affecting the Seigneurie and Landed Property from the Later Middle Ages down to the French Revolution
V. The Social Groupings
VI. The Beginnings of the Agricultural Revolution
VII. Lines of Continuity: Past and Present
Index
"Colorfully written...his book opens new avenues of historical investigation beyond the usual legal, institutional, or purely economic approach to agrarian history...His work has remained a classic of its kind for over three decades."—Choice
"A long overdue English rendering of what has long been recongized...as a brilliant and seminal work, the inspiration of much subsequent research in medieval and early modern agrarian history...An indispensable book for anyone seeking to understand European society down through the ages...a thoroughly delightful and stimulating demonstration of the skills of a modern master of historical synthesis."—Virginia Quarterly Review
"Bryce Lyon is inclined to believe that FRENCH RURAL HISTORY is Bloch's real masterpiece—a book that 'revolutionized the study of agrarian history and transformed many previous studies into museum pieces.' He is probably right."—Yale Review