This excellent work retraces the pre-revolutionary political events of 1787-1788. Particularly interesting is Gruder's convincing evidence--in the form of newspapers, pamphlets, and nouvelles à la main--showing that the debates of the notables, and after them the Paris Parlementaires, were widely discussed by an involved and informed French reading public. Combining a lively awareness of recent scholarship on the formation of public opinion and the nature of the reading public with a well-written, accessible text, The Notables and the Nation offers much to be admired.