This is a study of the 18th century. Nicolson called his book a gallery of portraits, e.g. Saint Simon, elegant, a social climber; the dashing Prince Potemkin; Count Cagliostro, practitioner of black arts; Thomas Paine, inflamer of the masses; Jacques Casanova, lover, pornographer, and con man. This single masterful volume synthesizes, through people and events, the 18th century ideals of reason and liberty, the attack on superstition, tradition and authority that shook the world and produced a revolution in values. New Introduction by Adam Nicolson, Harold Nicolson's grandson.