Paris: The Biography of a City
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From the Roman Emperor Julian, who waxed rhapsodic about Parisian wine and figs, to Henry Miller, who relished its seductive bohemia, Paris has been a perennial source of fascination for 2,000 years. In this definitive and illuminating history, Colin Jones walks us through the city that was a plague-infested charnel house during the Middle Ages, the bloody epicenter of the French Revolution, the muse of nineteenth-century Impressionist painters, and much more. Jones's masterful narrative is enhanced by numerous photographs and feature boxes—on the Bastille or Josephine Baker, for instance—that complete a colorful and comprehensive portrait of a place that has endured Vikings, Black Death, and the Nazis to emerge as the heart of a resurgent Europe. This is a thrilling companion for history buffs and backpack, or armchair, travelers alike.
Liked Paris: The Biography of a City? Here’s where I’d start.
These suit anyone who liked Paris: The Biography of a City. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.
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Paris: The Secret History Shares Paris, France, history -
Seven Ages of Paris Shares Paris, France, nonfiction -
Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris Shares Paris, France, nonfiction -
Dawn of the Belle Epoque: The Paris of Monet, Zola, Bernhardt, Eiffel, Debussy, Clemenceau, and Their Friends Shares Paris, France, history
“People who read Paris: The Biography of a City tend to reach for these next.”
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“If it was the Paris that hooked you, try one of these.”
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Twilight of the Belle Epoque: The Paris of Picasso, Stravinsky, Proust, Renault, Marie Curie, Gertrude Stein, and Their Friends Through the Great War
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Paris Under Water: How the City of Light Survived the Great Flood of 1910
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Paris Reborn: Napoléon III, Baron Haussmann, and the Quest to Build a Modern City
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Paris in the Fifties
