"Bernard Lepetit, co-editor of the Annales, has brought to the study of urban history the complex, subtle, and multifaceted approach characteristic of that great journal. This is a major work in urban history that will be difficult for undergraduates but required reading for graduate students in many fields that share an interest in the history of urban networks. I expect its methodological innovations will be emulated in other applications..." Journal of Economic History

• List of figures; List of tables; Foreword; List of abbreviations; Introduction; 1. The urbanisation of France; 2. Urban images; 3. The town, the economy, the territory; 4. An essay in urban typology; 5. Hierarchical gradations; 6. The new geography of power; 7. The France of the chefs-lieux; 8. Towns and roads; 9. Urban systems: from frameworks to networks; 10. Back to representations; Conclusion; Appendices; Bibliography; Index.