Book excerpt: This book deals with the geological record and the evolution of ideas concerning the Variscan orogenic belt in France and neighboring regions. Volume 1 is based on a general introduction concerning the imprint of the Variscan period on the geology of France, as well as on the particularities of the study of this ancient orogen. A history of the concepts applied to the Variscan belt is proposed in order to consider this orogen in the history of Earth Sciences. A paleogeodynamic analysis of the Variscan cycle sets the general framework for the evolution of the orogen, which is then tackled through the prism of the magmatic, metamorphic and tectonic record of the early phases (from Cambrian to Lower Carboniferous). Volume 2 proposes an analysis of the late evolution of the Variscan orogenic belt, reflecting its dismantling in a high-temperature context during the Upper Carboniferous and Permian. The sedimentary archives are described, as well as the questions raised by the specificities of this ancient orogen.