Faded maroon cloth binding with gilt title on the spine.

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Please view our photographs. This book deals with the beginning of the third republic in France: a history of the national assembly Feb-Sept 1871; written by Rev Frank Herbert Brabant who details the chaotic birth of the French Third Republic. 

Book Overview

• Author: Rev. Frank Herbert Brabant (1892–1972), an English clergyman and scholar.
• Publisher: Macmillan and Co. (London, 1940); later reprinted by H. Fertig in 1972.
• Length: 555 pages.
• Scope: It examines the crucial transitional period following France’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. 

Key Themes Covered

• The National Assembly: The election and actions of the conservative-dominated National Assembly gathered in Bordeaux and Versailles in February 1871.
• Adolphe Thiers: The leadership of the provisional leader who negotiated peace with the German Empire and established executive power.
• The Paris Commune: The bloody insurrection and civil conflict of the Paris Commune (March–May 1871) and its suppression by the regular French army.
• Political Fractures: The deep divisions between monarchists (legitimists and Orleanists) and republicans that ultimately shaped the constitutional framework of the new republic. 

The market value of Frank Herbert Brabant’s book generally ranges from £35 to £65  for an original printing, depending entirely on its condition and the specific edition.

Key Factors Influencing Its Value

• Edition: The 1940 Macmillan first edition holds the most value for collectors, especially if it retains its original dust jacket. 
• Condition:  Clean copies with tight, bright bindings command the higher end. 
• Scarcity vs. Demand: Because it is a niche, scholarly work rather than a widely traded piece of rare literature, its price is driven by academic scarcity rather than intense collector bidding wars.

“Marie Joseph Louis Adolphe Thiers’’ (French: [1797?1877) was a French politician and historian. He was a leading historian of the French Revolution, with a multivolume history that argued that the republicanism of the Revolution was the central theme of modern French history. Thiers served as a prime minister 1836, 1840 and 1848. He was a vocal opponent of Emperor Napoleon III, who reigned 1848-1871. Following the overthrow of the Second Empire he again came to power and his suppression of the revolutionary Paris Commune of 1871 killed thirty-five thousand Parisians. From 1871 to 1873 he served initially as Head of State (effectively a provisional President of France), then President. He lost power in 1873 to Patrice de Mac-Mahon, Duke of Magenta.”