Anatole France spent his childhood around his father's bookstore in France. As an adult he became a librarian and author. This novel written in 1881 looks back at the 18^th century as a perfect time. Sylvestre Bonnard was a skeptical scholar whose character was based on the author. Bonnard runs into problems when he searches for an ancient document. Bonnard commits acts for the best reasons, which were probably illegal. This book is full of unexpected plot turns and suspense.