The study of diplomacy, diplomats, and diplomatic practices is an active field in languages other than English. Recent studies in French, following a robust tradition of international history, have dealt with the history of diplomatic practices not only in France but also generally. These studies have moved from the activities of professional diplomats to the role of experts and non-professional figures acting in a diplomatic capacity, from political relations to culture and trade, from diplomatic practices to the social history of the profession. The two books under review here are recent examples of this developing trend: Laurence Badel’s work is to be placed in a context of general publications on diplomacy, 1 while Isabelle Dasque delivers a detailed prosopography of French diplomats in the first decades of the Third Republic (1871–1914). Dasque’s book is the long-awaited publication of her PhD thesis, defended in 2005 …