About this book
De l'importance des livres de raison by Louis Guibert unearths the overlooked household notebooks that quietly recorded daily life across provincial France and reshapes how we see social history. Drawing on an archaeological perspective presented to the 1890 Congrès archéologique, Guibert examines the "livres de raison"—family account books and domestic manuscripts kept by petty nobility, magistrates, bourgeois, artisans, and rural owners—and argues they are far more than genealogical curiosities.
Part scholarly essay, part archival appeal, this historical non-fiction study traces how these intimate records survived neglect, vermin, and the dust of attics after the Revolution, and how their rescue offers fresh evidence about family structures, economic habits, traditions, and the slow transformation of social bonds in modern France. Guibert situates his findings in the broader development of archaeology and the nascent social sciences of the 19th century, showing how micro-level documents illuminate macro-level change without sensationalism.
Ideal for listeners who love French history, social archaeology, archival studies, or genealogy, this audiobook brings scholarly rigor and human detail to the archives—perfect for anyone curious about everyday life and the sources that let the past speak.
