Book excerpt: "The Court Society is a book to be read on several levels. It is a historical book, carefully researched and with great imagination painting a vivid and detailed picture of the life of the king and his courtiers during the reign of Louis XIV. But it is concerned with more than this. From the time of the pharaohs to the downfall of king and emperors in the twentieth century, princely court societies have played a vital role in the development of humanity. The Court Society provides the key to an understanding not only of a particular court society but of court societies in general. Professor Elias raises the question, for example, of how it was possible for a single person, a monarch, to rule, and to count on the obedience of, millions of people. Was Louis XIV really the "absolute" monarch he is described today as being? Was he truly free to do what he liked, or were there clearly defined limits to the power of even an absolute prince? The Court Society is a sociological enquiry into the problems of power, particularly that of a hierarchic institution headed by a single person. As such, it has a great deal of importance to say about many situations in the world today"--Publisher.