Colin David Hugh Jones (born 12 December 1947) is a British historian of France and professor of history at Queen Mary University of London. Jones attended

Hampton Grammar School Hampton School (formerly Hampton Grammar School) is an independent boys' day school in Hampton, Greater London, England. It is regarded as one of the top independent schools in the country. Hampton School’s A-Level and GCSE results in 2021 ...

. He then studied at

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship St ...

, 1967–71, where he obtained a first-class honours degree in modern history and modern languages (French) and

St Antony's College, Oxford St Antony's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1950 as the result of the gift of French merchant Sir Antonin Besse of Aden, St Antony's specialises in international relations, economic ...

, from where he obtained his

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

degree in 1978. He began working as a temporary lecturer in history at

Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public university, public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is ...

, 1972–73 before moving on to the

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a public university , public research university in Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of Min ...

, where he remained until 1995. He was then appointed professor of history in the history department of the

University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands (county), West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded i ...

, where he stayed until 2006. He is known especially for his important history of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, ''Paris, Biography of a City'', which won the Enid MacLeod Prize of the Franco-British Society as the book published in 2004 which contributed most to Anglo-French understanding. Jones was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE) in the

2014 Birthday Honours The 2014 Birthday Honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of ...

for services to historical research and higher education.2014 Birthday Honours List page 15
/ref>

Main publications

*''Charity and 'Bienfaisance': The Treatment of the Poor in the Montpellier Region, 1740-1815'', Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press A university press is an academic publishing hou ...

, 1982, xvi + 317 pp. *''The

Longman Longman, also known as Pearson Longman, is a publishing company founded in London, England, in 1724 and is owned by Pearson PLC. Since 1968, Longman has been used primarily as an imprint by Pearson's Schools business. The Longman brand is also ...

Companion to the French Revolution'', London: Longman, 1988, xiv + 473 pp.; Paperback edition, 1990 *''The Charitable Imperative: Hospitals and Nursing in Ancien Régime and Revolutionary France'', London:

Routledge Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, and ...

, November 1989, xiii + 317 pp. *(With

John Ardagh John Ardagh (28 May 1928, Nyasaland – 26 January 2008, London) was a British journalist, writer and broadcaster. He was educated at Sherborne School, Dorset, and Worcester College, Oxford, where he took a degree in classics and philosophy. 1953 ...

), ''Cultural Atlas of France,'' New York and Oxford: Facts on File, 1991, 240 pp.; French, German, Dutch, Polish translations *''The Cambridge Illustrated History of France'', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994, 352 pp. Paperback edition, 1999; German, Korean, Chinese translations *(With Laurence Brockliss) ''The Medical World of Early Modern France'', Oxford:

Clarendon Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 1997, xii + 960pp. *''The Great Nation. France from Louis XV to the 1715-99'', London: Penguin, 2002, xxx + 651pp.; US hardback edition published by Columbia University Press, 2003 *''Madame de Pompadour and her Image'', London: National Gallery Publications with

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous. , Yale Universi ...

, 2002), 176 pp. Associated with the international exhibition on the same topic held in Versailles, Munich and at the

National Gallery, London The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...

, 2002 *''Paris: Biography of a City'', London: Allen Lane/Penguin, 2004, xxviii + 643 pp. US edition, 2005, Penguin/Viking; paperback, 2006; Russian and Chinese translations. Awarded the Enid McLeod Prize of the Franco-British Society as the book published in 2004 which contributed most to Anglo-French understanding. *''The Fall of Robespierre: 24 Hours in Revolutionary Paris''. Oxford University Press, 2021.

References

Colin Jones personal website
Queen Mary, University of London, retrieved 2008-05-20
Academic Profile
retrieved 2008-05-20

retrieved 2008-05-20

retrieved 2008-05-20

at Queen Mary, University of London, Department of History, retrieved 2008-05-20

Penguin UK Authors, retrieved 2008-05-20

retrieved 2008-05-20 {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Colin British historians Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford Alumni of St Antony's College, Oxford Academics of Newcastle University Academics of the University of Exeter Academics of the University of Warwick Academics of Queen Mary University of London Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Presidents of the Royal Historical Society Living people 1947 births