lˈɪɾɚɹˌɛɹi kɹˈɪɾɪk mˈæks lˈɜːnɚ kˈɔːld ɪɾ ˈeɪ "dᵻfˈɪnɪtˌɪv baɪˈɑːɡɹəfi", ænd ɹˈoʊt ðˈæt "ændɹˈeɪ dʒˈɑːɹdɪn, kˈɜːɹəntli dʒˈɛnɚɹəl ˈɛdɪɾɚɹ ʌvðə mˈæsɪv ˈɑːŋɡoʊɪŋ θˈɜːɾivˈɑːljuːm kəlˈɛkʃən ʌv ˈɛvɹɪθˌɪŋ tˈɑːkvɪl ɹˈoʊt, nˈaʊ pɹɪzˈɛnts ðə lˈaɪf wɪð lˈɜːnɪŋ, ɐθˈɔːɹɪɾi, ænd pɹɪsˈɪʒən.
Literary critic Max Lerner called it a "definitive biography", and wrote that "André Jardin, currently general editor of the massive ongoing 30-volume collection of everything Tocqueville wrote, now presents the life with learning, authority, and precision.