“One of the greatest of Tocqueville scholars has now written what is certain to become the standard biography. Authoritative, clear, and a pleasure to read, the book shows us why Tocqueville remains a vital, necessary figure for understanding our world.”—David A. Bell, author of Men on Horseback: Charisma and Power in the Age of Revolutions“An ambitious and lucid reinterpretation of Tocqueville, the Sphinx of modern democracy, written by a distinguished historian and one of America’s best Tocqueville scholars. The book should be essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how a young aristocratic Frenchman came to write the best book on democracy.”—Aurelian Craiutu, author of Faces of Moderation: The Art of Balance in an Age of Extremes“Zunz conveys the full intensity of Tocqueville’s lifelong quest to enable France to escape cycles of revolution and despotism. Zunz also captures the poignancy of Tocqueville’s final years when, enduring another Bonaparte regime and politically isolated, he turned back toward France’s own past to envision a new future.”—Seymour Drescher, author of Abolition: A History of Slavery and Antislavery“Olivier Zunz brings to the study of Tocqueville a deep feeling for and understanding of the political cultures of both France and the United States. This new intellectual biography shows how Tocqueville’s travels and subsequent political career shaped his understanding of democratic society. It represents a landmark in Tocqueville studies.”—Arthur Goldhammer, award-winning translator of Tocqueville’s major works“Packed with acute observations and fascinating historical detail, this richly documented and authoritative biography brings the complexity of Tocqueville’s thought and personality to vivid life in lucid prose. Tocqueville has never before appeared in such a clear light.”—Jeremy Jennings, author of Revolution and the Republic: A History of Political Thought in France since the Eighteenth Century“If Tocqueville understood democracy, Olivier Zunz understands Tocqueville. A longtime explorer of Tocqueville’s doubly French and American worlds, Zunz effectively places the great theorist of democracy in all the major intellectual and political currents of his era, from the aftermath of the French Revolution to the coming of the U.S. Civil War. In the process, Zunz reveals the full complexity of Tocqueville’s thinking about the promise and perils of the politics of equality. A remarkable—and timely—achievement.”—Sophia Rosenfeld, author of Democracy and Truth: A Short History“Lively and learned, this impressive new biography puts Tocqueville’s commitment to a new form of democracy inspired by his encounter with America at the heart of his intellectual and political work. Essential reading for those who want to understand the meaning and trajectory of Tocqueville’s thought.”—Cheryl B. Welch, editor of The Cambridge Companion to Tocqueville