Danbury Publisher Releases French Revolutions for Beginners

Press release:

“At first they’d thought the guillotine would be a sweet, clean business, but when you have twenty, perhaps thirty heads to take off in a day, there are problems of scale.” ― Hilary Mantel, A Place of Greater Safety

The iconic Che Guevara may have made revolution sexy, but the French turned heads - literally. The French Revolutions (yes, the many French Revolutions) heralded the unfolding of the modern era, and you can’t beat the French for romance and allure. Author Jarod Kintz once quipped, “I want to make love to the French Revolution.” With its ongoing series of graphic nonfiction books deconstructing complex ideas one subject at a time, Danbury’s For Beginners® is releasing its latest title, French Revolutions For Beginners on November 18th in bookstores and online nationwide. The book explains why the French Revolutions top ubiquitous Top Ten lists, and complements the text with humorous, punny comic drawings. Distributed by Red Wheel/Weiser, the book is written by Michael J. LaMonica of Hartford and illustrated by T. Motley of New York City. French Revolutions For Beginners is priced at $15.95. The author invites readers to “spread some caviar on a baguette, uncork that bottle of Dom Pérignon, and watch your neck as we explore the French Revolutions!”

While most people have some familiarity with names like Louis XVI and Napoleon, the details of exactly what happened during the French Revolution—apart from pithy royal pronouncements about cake eating and the constantly falling blade of the guillotine—are often difficult to understand, and for good reason: There were a whopping 15 changes of government in less than a century! The legacy of the French Revolutions remains with us today. We see it all over the world when an oppressed people rises up against an authoritarian regime demanding that their rights as citizens be recognized. French Revolutions For Beginners presents the major political figures, events, and hot-button political issues of this extremely violent, chaotic, confusing—but always exciting—period in a way that is accessible, interesting, and fun to both history buffs and the neophyte alike.

Michael LaMonica is a graduate of the University of Mary Washington, where he earned a B.A. in history and was inducted into the National History Honor Society. He subsequently attended Quinnipiac University School of Law, where he obtained his J.D. and acted as an editor of the Quinnipiac Probate Law Journal. He is currently employed full-time as an attorney at the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office and is a part-time professor of English at Quinnipiac University.

T. Motley’s previous illustrated books include The Golden Ass of Lucius Apuleius (David R. Godine) and The One Marvelous Thing (Dalkey Archive Press). His “Tragic Strip” appears monthly in The Brooklyn Rail, he is a core contributor to the indie anthology Cartozia Tales, and he teaches cartooning at the School of Visual Arts and illustration at Pratt Manhattan.

For more information about the entire For Beginners® series, visit forbeginnersbooks.com

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For Beginners® is the graphic nonfiction series that deconstructs complex ideas. Every book in the series serves one purpose: to present the works of great thinkers and subjects alike in a straightforward, accessible manner. With subjects ranging from philosophy, to politics, to art and beyond, the For Beginners® series covers a range of topics in a humorous comic book-style. Every book takes a comprehensive approach that respects the intelligence of its audience. The publisher is located at 155 Main Street, Danbury CT 06810.