Alexis De Tocqueville

Joseph Epstein's appreciation of the Frenchman who saw America and what it could become, perhaps before Americans did, reviews Alexis de Tocqueville's stunning achievements, including the two-volume DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA, a living classic that is read today for its insights into the national character and for its comments about government of, by, and for the people--all based on his wide travels as well as his training in sociology. Tocqueville was also a literary stylist, as is Epstein, and this volume is a felicitous match of author and subject.