Tues Paris Reading Rec: THE PARISIANS by Graham Robb
When people ask me to recommend a general history of Paris--
Actually, people never ask me that, not that way. But they do often ask for a Paris 101 guide--not a travel guide, but a book that will introduce them to Paris past and present. The book I always recommend first is Graham Robb's THE PARISIANS.
It's not a comprehensive history of Paris, and that's just fine (there's too much blood in a comprehensive history of Paris). It is, rather, an idiosyncratic tour through time that alights in a series of interesting places and periods throughout the city and then, through Robb's vivid, smart prose, brings a parade of Parisians to life. It's a marvelous book. What was it like visiting Haussmann's office when he was in the midst of tearing Paris apart in the 19th century? What's it like to cycle from the center of Paris today out through the incredibly diverse banlieues? Read Robb and find out: two completely different journeys in this completely different book. Whenever I go to Paris, I'm never entirely sure where I'll end up. But I know that this book is always a good place to start.
Actually, people never ask me that, not that way. But they do often ask for a Paris 101 guide--not a travel guide, but a book that will introduce them to Paris past and present. The book I always recommend first is Graham Robb's THE PARISIANS.
It's not a comprehensive history of Paris, and that's just fine (there's too much blood in a comprehensive history of Paris). It is, rather, an idiosyncratic tour through time that alights in a series of interesting places and periods throughout the city and then, through Robb's vivid, smart prose, brings a parade of Parisians to life. It's a marvelous book. What was it like visiting Haussmann's office when he was in the midst of tearing Paris apart in the 19th century? What's it like to cycle from the center of Paris today out through the incredibly diverse banlieues? Read Robb and find out: two completely different journeys in this completely different book. Whenever I go to Paris, I'm never entirely sure where I'll end up. But I know that this book is always a good place to start.
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