Parisians
Book description
This is the Paris you never knew. From the Revolution to the present, Graham Robb has distilled a series of astonishing true narratives, all stranger than fiction, of the lives of the great, the near-great, and the forgotten.
A young artillery lieutenant, strolling through the Palais-Royal, observes disapprovingly the courtesans…
Why read it?
2 authors picked Parisians as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
If we want to understand medieval or modern Paris, we need to gain some familiarity with all of the stages along the way. Robb provides some episodic portraits of some of those stages, and the chapter on the eighteenth-century architect Charles-Axel Guillaumot is one of the most arresting discussions I’ve ever seen of how the actions of those living in one epoch can reverberate for generations to come. Guillaumot literally saved Paris from collapsing in on its medieval past by bracing up the swiss-cheese-like network of tunnels that had been left behind by its medieval quarry workers.
From Sharon's list on the culture of France and medieval modern poverty.
This ‘adventure history’ presents in a dazzlingly kaleidoscopic manner the city’s past since the years just before the Revolution of 1789. From a young Napoleon finding his way (and losing his virginity) in the 1780s to the author’s own explorations of the northern suburbs and the district of La Chapelle, this is far from being a conventional narrative. Instead, the story of Paris and its people is captured in snapshots: the shady police agent Eugène-François Vidocq hunting down criminals, the photographic skills of Charles Marville documenting old, disappearing Paris in the 1860s, the first Métro journey in 1900, Juliette Gréco’s…
From Mike's list on the history of Paris.
Want books like Parisians?
Our community of 10,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Parisians.
5 book lists we think you will like!
Interested in Paris, France, and Napoleon Bonaparte?
10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about Paris, France, and Napoleon Bonaparte.