Paris The Biography of a City (Paperback)

From the Publisher: A history of the "city of lights" profiles it as one of the world's most culturally significant locales, in an accessible volume that covers such events as Paris's settlement at the end of the Stone Age, its role in numerous social and political revolutions, its survival of the Middle Age plague, and the cultural and architectural achievements of the Impressionist era. Reprint.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. JonesÂ's masterful narrative is enhanced by numerous photographs and feature boxesÂ?on the Bastille or Josephine Baker, for instanceÂ?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. || Â?Fascinating. An embarrassment of riches. One wants to visitÂ?or revisitÂ?Paris armed with this new knowledge and enrichment.Â? Â?The Christian Science Monitor