This volume does not claim to be a piece of original research. In the main it relies on the pioneering work of the many brilliant scholars, from Rudler onwards, who have contributed to Constant studies. Naturally, the interpretation of their conclusions is my own and breaks some new ground. However, my chief purposes has been to provide a general, readable, and up-to-date study not only of Constant's fictional works, but also of his main writings on politics and religion.