What's a good book on the French Revolution?

To show my complete lack of knowledge on the event, was the Bastille more of a symbolic event than anything else?

Mostly, it was a very practical exercise in gun-grabbing. Because guns are useful items to have in a revolution.

The guy who did the podcast on the history of Rome also has a series on revolutions and goes into depth on the French Revolution.

AtlAg05 said:

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The guy who did the podcast on the history of Rome also has a series on revolutions and goes into depth on the French Revolution.

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I'd like to know more about this. Which podcast is this?

Revolutions by Mike Duncan

BQ78 said:

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Citizens by Simon Schma came out with the bicentennial and is real good.

Forum 16 likes to compare our extreme SJWs to fascists but they seem more like the Jacobins to me, anti-religion and monarchy (however modern Jacobins have replaced the monarchy with capitalism).

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Any other good French Revolution books?

Also, interesting to see how this post has aged.

I still think Schama is the best. As a kid I read the American Heritage (Horizon Magazine) history of the French Revolution, that was my first exposure. It was good and nicely illustrated but slanted toward a teenager.

For an adult, after Schama, I would recommend several good biographies of Napoleon by Cronin, Asprey or Schom.