Paris bookcover

Paris

Secret Gardens, Hidden Places, and Stories of the City of Light
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Description

Follow in the footsteps of history to discover the hidden places, extraordinary people, and captivating stories of Paris.

Paris: Secret Gardens, Hidden Places, and Stories of the City of Light, Mary McAuliffe's multilayered exploration of Paris, weaves a narrative that takes the reader into secret and hidden places, even in the midst of the most well-known Paris destinations.

McAuliffe's hidden places can be small but are always revealing, whether a bas-relief on an ignored corner of Notre-Dame or an overlooked courtyard inside an ancient and busy hospital. She takes the reader below the streets and sidewalks of Paris to discover ancient aqueducts and a lost river, and she prompts the reader to notice overlooked treasures in the most trafficked of museums.

Always, McAuliffe's focus is on people and their stories. Evil queens, designing noblemen, bold chevaliers, and desperate lovers mingle with Resistance fighters and obsessed artists rising out of abject poverty into unexpected fame and fortune, adding to the tidal wave of creativity that is the lifeblood of the City of Light.

One person, place, and story lead to another, each linked by a common thread within the layered richness of Paris's past. The story of Paris is not a chronology but an exploration of the many layers of this remarkable city throughout the ages.

Product Details

PublisherRowman & Littlefield Publishers
Publish DateMay 15, 2023
Pages304
LanguageEnglish
TypeBook iconHardback
EAN/UPC9781538173336
Dimensions9.3 X 6.4 X 0.9 inches | 1.4 pounds
BISAC Categories: History, Travel

About the Author

Mary McAuliffe received a Ph.D. in history from the University of Maryland and has taught at several universities and lectured at the Smithsonian Institution. For many years she was a regular contributor to Paris Notes. She has traveled extensively in France and is the author of Dawn of the Belle Epoque: The Paris of Monet, Zola, Bernhardt, Eiffel, Debussy, Clemenceau, and Their Friends. She lives in New York City with her husband.

Reviews

An enticing introduction to Paris for travelers and general readers looking for a different side of Paris.

--Colin Jones, author of Paris: Biography of a City

Most Paris guides are published for tourists who just want to be able to tell their friends which iconic monuments they saw during their stay. But from time to time, there is a guide written by someone who is in love with the capital of France, and this is definitely the case here. Mary McAuliffe shares different elements that explain her addiction to the history and the architecture of the city of Paris, and if you follow the author's advice, you'll have the opportunity to see Parisian details that even residents don't know. Open the door of this book to discover a hidden Paris that lies behind the walls, a Paris most tourists never see.

--Gilles Thomas, winner of the 2016 French Academy Award Eve Delacroix Prize for The Catacombs: History of Underground Paris

Paris by Mary McAuliffe is an original look at this sprawling metropolis that has attracted people from all walks of life from around the world for literally centuries. She leads the reader through its history with stories and photographs. This is not a conventional travel guide, but rather a travelogue, a journey, an essay, or perhaps even a memoir of a fascinating city. This is a book to sit down with, to enjoy, to savor, to remember one's own experiences in Paris, or to imagine what it would be like to visit. The author takes the reader through an exploratory journey, one that will open readers' hearts and minds to the unexpected and the awe-inspiring backdrop of what makes this a city of many identities. I loved it!

-- "Readers' Favorite"

There's a clear passion for Paris in these pages. Prolific Paris historian and author McAuliffe presents the well-researched history, celebrities, and anecdotes from each of the City of Light's main neighborhoods, from the very touristy Montmartre and Latin Quarter to the not-as-well known Montparnasse and Grand Croisée. Countless facts astound. The Louvre was built as a fortress against the King of England. Two windmills exist within the city limits. Le Corbusier designed a University of Paris building. And along with the storied Seine, a second river (the hidden Bievre) flows through Paris. There are also entrancing stories of Man Ray's affair with his muse, Kiki; the famous people buried in Père Lachaise cemetery; and the formation of the Eiffel Tower.

-- "Booklist"

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