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Released: 28/10/2018

ISBN: 9781789015836
eISBN: 9781789012446

Format: Paperback/eBook

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Lauragais

Steeped in History, Soaked in Blood

by Colin Duncan Taylor

A journey through the past and present of a little-known area of south-west France.

Explores the people, places and events that shaped a land once too important to ignore.

A whole library has been written about the Lauragais in French, but virtually nothing in English.

The Lauragais lies in south-west France at the heart of Occitania. Today it is largely ignored by the millions who visit its neighbours each year – Toulouse and Carcassonne – but in times gone by it rarely escaped the attentions of the great and the good, or the ambitious and the avaricious.

This is a book with big characters – Simon de Montfort, the Black Prince, Thomas Jefferson and the Duke of Wellington among others – but most of all it tells the story of the people who have shaped this land, the living and the dead, families that have lived in the same house or village for hundreds of years. This is the story of their lives, their religion, their forgotten language and their environment.

On the autoroute, a journey through the Lauragais will take you three-quarters of an hour, but all you will see are tantalising glimpses of gorgeous countryside and distant signs of human habitation. In this book, the author takes you on a more leisurely trip through time in a land that is endearingly modest about its illustrious past.

Press Coverage

Mules & More

French Property News

Couleurs Lauragais

La Voix du Midi

Journal D'ici

La Depeche

Book Reviews

Lauragais procure beaucoup de plaisir...la précision du récit historique et de la description des lieux et des personnages s’accompagnent d’une vue d’ensemble et d’une réflexion vraiment profondes.

by Bernard Jean

All too often descriptions of little known parts of France are dry, skimped works that tell you more about the writer than the place itself. Not this one.
I know this region well, but this book reveals much that will enhance my appreciation of the people who live here and the culture they treasure as only the French can!
If you live here, or plan to visit the Lauragais, this is for you. If you are one of millions who speed through at maximum revs . . . take the first turning off the motorway once you leave Toulouse and treat yourself to the real France.

by Jonathan Veale

Very good book. Loved the characters and world building! There were a few moments where I found the story to be moving a long a little slow, but they definitely didn't last very long. Definitely a to-buy!

by Alicia Mann

The subject was very interesting. This book tells the story of a region of France whose history is really the history of Europe. The author, whose work was new to me, writes in an extremely engaging way. I really enjoyed this and was very glad I took a chance on it. Highly recommend to history readers or anyone interested in Europe.

by Thomas Lambe

A well written and researched book that encourages you to follow the author on his adventures (both real and sometimes imagined) through the centuries of modern day "Lauragais". He adopts a very lucid style, helpful for the non native English speaker.
Once you get through the initial chapters of historical facts, it settles into a leisurely journey full of fascinating insights that captures your imagination and interest right to the very end.
It would be helpful to know something of the French language, which sadly I don't.
A must for anyone connected to the area.

by Keith John Taylor

About the Author

Colin Duncan Taylor

My life-long passion is France - its language, its culture and its history. I first discovered the Lauragais twenty years ago when I was looking to buy a French home in a more peaceful area than Provence. Since then I have been exploring this magical land by plane, car, bicycle, horse and my own two feet.

The more I learned and the more I read about the Lauragais, the more I realised that although much has been written about its history in French, there is virtually nothing in English. So I decided to write a book to tell the story of a land which, in times gone by, rarely escaped the attentions of the great and the good, or the ambitious and the avaricious. Luckily I have made many friends whose roots in the Lauragais are much deeper and much older than my own, and they helped me bring the past back to life.

Why do I think the Lauragais is so special? Visiting my website will give you a clue; reading my book will give you the full answer!

Before devoting myself to writing, my career included spells as a naval officer, management consultant and business owner.