'As a biography, Catherine Volpilhac-Auger's Montesquieu is a fine specimen. As a work of history, however, it is even better. … What emerges from Volpilhac-Auger's well-documented work is a Montesquieu who is much diminished in his exceptionalism … And in writing what is ostensibly a biography, Volpilhac-Auger has managed far more: her Montesquieu throws new light on intellectual and cultural milieux one might have thought familiar, as well as puts others more decisively on the radar. Our map of the eighteenth century is far richer for it.' Shiru Shiru, Metascience

'Volpilhac-Auger's biography of Montesquieu reflects a seasoned scholar's work of more than 20 years that cannot be judged by a moment's reading. It should be approved or condemned as a whole, as Montesquieu would have it. To this reviewer, Volpilhac-Auger's biography will be as essential for this generation of Montesquieu scholars and generalists as Robert Shackleton's Montesquieu: A Critical Biography (1961) and Louis Desgraves's Montesquieu (1986) works were for previous generations. To this end, the chronology and selected bibliography serve as essential points de départ for any scholar looking to find (or revisit) the highest-quality French and English materials on Montesquieu.' Alex Haskins, Perspectives on Politics