the discovery of france: a historical geography, from the revolution to the first world war is a book by graham robb. it was published in september 2007 in the united kingdom by picador and in october 2007 in the united states by w. w. norton and company. the book, a result of cycling 14,000 miles around france coupled with four years of research, is an in-depth examination of french national identity as seen through the diverse cultures and languages contained within the country.