The book has an interesting publishing history. Yielding to pressure from friends, Tocqueville finally approved its publication, although only after those portrayed in the workmost, unflatteringlyhad died. After Tocqueville's death, his grandnephew published a redacted version, but it was not until 1942 that French editors restored the potentially offensive passages.
Goldhammer's is the first English translation to do justice to Tocqueville's original uncensored masterpiece of analytical description, stylistic subtlety, vivid social panorama, and incisive critique of political blundering and cowardice. Zunz's introductionand his addition of several of Tocqueville's ancillary speeches, occasional texts, and lettersround out a unique volume that significantly enhances our understanding of the revolutionary period and Tocqueville's role in it. In this new edition, Zunz highlights the persistent influence of the United States on the life and work of a man who tirelessly, albeit futilely, promoted the American model of government for the New French Republic.