At the Edge of the World Audiobook By Jean-Vincent Blanchard cover art

At the Edge of the World

The Heroic Century of the French Foreign Legion

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

At the Edge of the World

By: Jean-Vincent Blanchard
Narrated by: Julian Elfer
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.47

Buy for $15.47

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

An aura of mystery, romance, and danger surrounds the French Foreign Legion, the all-volunteer corps of the French Army, founded in 1831. Famous for its physically grueling training in harsh climates, the legion fought in French wars from Mexico to Madagascar, Southeast Asia to North Africa. In At the Edge of the World, historian Jean-Vincent Blanchard follows the legion's rise to fame during the 19th century - focusing on its campaigns in Indochina and especially in Africa - when the corps played a central role in expanding and protecting the French Empire. As France struggled to be a power capable of rivaling the British, the figure of the legionnaire came to represent the might and morale that would secure a greater, stronger nation. Drawing from rare archival memoirs and testimonies of legionnaires from the period, and tracing the fascinating career of Hubert Lyautey, France's first resident-general in Morocco and a hero to many a legionnaire, At the Edge of the World chronicles the Foreign Legion at the height of its renown, when the corps and its archetypically handsome, moody, and marginalized recruits became both the symbols of a triumphant colonialism and the stuff of legend.

©2017 Jean-Vincent Blanchard (P)2017 Tantor Europe France Military World Africa Middle Ages Latin America Colonial Period Imperialism War Morocco Ancient History Mexico

Critic reviews

"A detailed and fascinating book of French history." ( Kirkus)
All stars
Most relevant  
Interesting topic and stories. However the author is way too wordy and narrator fails to bring any adventure or excitement . Couldn’t finish.

Boring

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
or at least how this book was marketed.:”The Heroic Century of the French Foreign Legion?” Really? I found a prosaic (albeit, well researched) History of French Colonialism. I thought I’d be in for more anecdotal accounts, details on FFL campaigns, reports from the front...instead, be prepared for a somewhat lusterless account of political intrigue, in depth analysis of one particular Marshal and even intellectual philosophizing on colonialism. Yawn! Looked up the author...no surprise...Always amuses me to read the conclusions of someone purporting to be an “expert” when there is (apparently) nothing in their background except Ivory Tower research. Let a Legionnaire tell us what a Legionnaire thinks...please.

Got to go against all the high praise...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book is essentially a mix between a military history of the FFL, a political history and overview of French Imperialism from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s, and a biography of French FFL colonial generals.

I found the book to be interesting as it covered historical events that are hard to find good content for in English. Later French Imperialism was an important historical process that is still relevant in much of Africa.

On top of that is was cool to read about the very masculine adventures of the FFL. And cool to here an account of French society at the time, and how Generals and FFL outcasts interacted with it.

My main complaint for the book is the mix of genres is just sort of awkward. Most people don’t love political, military, and biographical histories equally. So It is likely parts of the book will bore you and others will excite you. It’s just a strange organization choice.

If you are interested in the FFL or French/European colonialism this book is worth reading and different from usual historical topics in English books.

However the mix is genres will probably leave most people a little bored and disappointed during certain parts of the book. Overall it is a good book though.

Interesting book of mixed genre

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.