In a marvelous blend of reportage and history, wit and drama, Rosenblum presents the French empire with as much relish presents a banquet. From the Americas to Africa to the Orient, he tracks the French to every patch of earth that ever flew a tricolor. And with a journalist's eye and a stylist's pen, he gives us a stunning rendition of the French way. The French, for better or worse, have a secure, identifiable place in our hearts--they amuse us, they annoy us, we despise them, we adore them. We may not understand them, but we cannot ignore them. 'Mission to Civilize' is a veritable landscape of the French mentality.