The French Revolution: A History was written by the Scottish essayist, philosopher, and historian Thomas Carlyle. It is “one of the grand poems of Carlyle’s century, yet its poetry consists in being everywhere scrupulously rooted in historical fact".

The French Revolution: A History has established Thomas Carlyle’s reputation when first published in 1837, and this spectacular historical masterpiece has since been accepted as the standard work on the subject.The three-volume work charts the course of the French Revolution from 1789 to the height of the Reign of Terror (1793-4) and culminates in 1795.

Thomas Carlyle (4 December 1795 – 5 February 1881) was a Scottish philosopher, satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher. Considered one of the most important social commentators of its time, he presented many lectures during his lifetime with certain acclaim in the Victorian era. One of those conferences resulted in his famous work "On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and The Heroic in History" where he explains that the key role in history lies in the actions of the "Great Man", claiming that "History is nothing but the biography of the Great Man".