Transforming Paris – The Life & Labors of Baron Haussmann: The Life and Labors of Baron Haussmann - Softcover

Jordan, David P

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0226410382 ISBN 13: 9780226410388

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 1996

Synopsis

Today's Paris is largely the legacy of Baron Haussmann, who created the "City of Lights" during the last half of the 19th century. Although neither architect nor engineer, Haussmann reshaped France's capital during his 17 years as Prefect of the Seine under Napoleon III. Haussmann demolished much of the crowded medieval Paris and replaced it with grand boulevards, majestic spaces, and triumphant monuments. Set against the political intrigue and social upheavals of the era of the Commune and the revolutions of 1848, "Transforming Paris" reveals how Haussmann gained power to remake city.

About this title

Review:

Francois FuretThe author writes about Paris as one who knows the city well, has spent years exploring it, and loves all the ages it represents and all of its streets. This is all wonderfully treated, in both a learned and readable fashion. This is a biography with many excellent qualities. It is, furthermore, a joy to read, cloaking its erudition with narrative elegance and simplicity.

About the Author:

David P. Jordan is Professor of History at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He lives in Chicago.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0226410382
• ISBN 13: 9780226410388
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 480