In early modern France almost all posts of public responsibility could only be acquired by purchase or inheritance. By the eighteenth century there were 70,000 venal offices comprising the entire judiciary, most of the legal profession, officers in the army, and a wide range of other professions. William Doyle, one of the foremost historians of early modern Europe, traces the evolution and dissolution of a system which was one of the central institutions of French life for over three centuries.

Collection of essays which illuminate many facets of Robespierre's career, life and thought.

Montel Williams? New York Times bestselling battle plan for better living. Now in paperback
In Living Well, Montel explains the science behind his successful battle against multiple sclerosis, interviewing a global ?SWAT Team? of doctors, scientists, and researchers, and reveals the amazing effects of healthy eating and regular exercise.
Most importantly, Montel shares his groundbreaking 21-Day Living Well Food and Workout Program? a hard-hitting health plan of diet changes, a step-by-step exercise plan, and the gradual addition of raw and whole foods to daily...

For six months in 2006, a charismatic young U.S. Army captain and Arab linguist named Travis Patriquin unleashed a diplomatic and cultural charm offensive upon the Sunni Arab sheiks of Anbar province, the heart of darkness of the Iraqi insurgency. He galvanized American support for the "Sunni Awakening," the tribal revolt against Al Qaeda that spread through the province and eventually across Iraq, a turning point that led to dramatically lower levels of violence in the country.

The Awakening may not have succeeded without Patriquin, who was so beloved by Iraqis that they adopted him...