Paris from the ground up

For writers, historians, artists, and anyone who appreciates a beautiful, vibrant city, Paris remains a mecca. McGregor has written three earlier ground-up books, on Rome, Venice, and Washington, D.C. Here he masterfully combines the genres of travel guide, urban history, and art history to provide a stimulating portrait of another of the world's great cultural attractions. McGregor traces the evolution of Paris from its pre-Roman origins as a Gallic settlement on the Seine, to its development as an outpost of Romano-Gallic culture, to its medieval flowering and maturing into the acknowledged cultural heart of continental Europe. To illustrate that evolution, he provides interesting vignettes on artistic and architectural landmarks, including Notre Dame, Sacré Coeur, and the Arc de Triomphe. Those who already know Paris will appreciate this informative tribute to the City of Light; or newcomers, this work will be educational.--Freeman, Jay Copyright 2009 Booklist

McGregor, the University of Georgia's comparative literature department co-head, adds to his city history series (Rome: From the Ground Up) with this definitive portrait of Paris. Combining chronological history with a cultural exploration of all things architectural, artistic and practical, this volume is a popular record that could serve as a comprehensive textbook for City of Lights 101. Crafted with fluency and fluidity, McGregor can be overwhelming in his level of detail; great churches, museums and the artists responsible for them, from Gaul to DeGaulle, are all examined in extreme close-up. To his credit, McGregor acknowledges that the "human history of the place that became Paris is exceedingly long," and keeps it lively with public bath tours, the secrets of aqueducts and central heating, tales of martyrs from St. Denis to Joan of Arc, and unending cathedral construction (emphasizing Notre Dame); the Sorbonne, marketplace evolution and the great plague all play their part. The Louvre is explored meticulously in many permutations, as are the sewers and even the language. McGregor makes a convincing case that Paris, like Athens and Rome, is a city "that combined political power and cultural preeminence... the only conceivable place to succeed." 105 color illustrations, 30 halftones, 10 maps. (Apr.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.