Book excerpt: This is the first of two anthologies designed to explore the changes and transitions in European culture between 1780 and 1830. The collection of extracts in this anthology provide primary and secondary sources on the death of the Old Regime, the Napoleonic pheonomenon, slavery, religion and reform. Each selection is accompanied by a detailed introduction explaining the context and significance of the sources. Extracts in the anthology stimulate questions rather than provide reassuring answers, and offer vital insights to the major events, movements, and personalities of the time.