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How Paris Became Paris
- The Invention of the Modern City
- Narrated by: Robert Blumenfeld
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
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Publisher's summary
At the start of the 17th century, Paris was known for a few monuments, but it had not yet put its brand on urban space. Like many European cities, it was still emerging from its medieval past. But within a century, Paris would be transformed into the modern and mythic city we now know. Most people associate the signature characteristics of Paris with the 19th century.
Joan DeJean demonstrates that the Parisian model for urban space was in fact invented two centuries earlier, when the first full design for the French capital was implemented. During this period, Paris saw many changes: It became the first city to tear down its fortifications. A large-scale urban plan was created and executed, with organized streets and boulevards, modern bridges, sidewalks, and public parks. Venues opened for urban entertainment, from opera and ballet to another pastime invented in Paris, recreational shopping.
Parisians enjoyed the earliest street lighting and public transportation, even as theirs became Europe’s first great walking city. A century of planned development made Paris beautiful and exciting.
It gave people reasons to be out in public as never before and as nowhere else. It gave Paris its modern identity as a place that people dreamed of seeing. As Joan DeJean shows us in this compelling portrait of a city in transition, by 1700 Paris had become the capital that would transform forever our conception of the city and of urban life.
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A pioneering exploration of four cities where East meets West and past becomes future: St. Petersburg, Shanghai, Mumbai, and Dubai. Every month, five million people move from the past to the future. Pouring into developing-world “instant cities” like Dubai and Shenzhen, these urban newcomers confront a modern world cobbled together from fragments of a West they have never seen. Do these fantastical boomtowns, where blueprints spring to life overnight on virgin land, represent the dawning of a brave new world? Or is their vaunted newness a mirage?
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Engaging and Memorable
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The Black Russian
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- Narrated by: Peter Marinker
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
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The Black Russian is the incredible story of Frederick Bruce Thomas, born in 1872 to former slaves who became prosperous farmers in Mississippi. After leaving the South and working as a waiter and valet in Chicago and Brooklyn, Frederick sought greater freedom in London, then crisscrossed Europe, and - in a highly unusual choice for a black American at the time - went to Russia in 1899. Because he found no color line there, Frederick made Moscow his home. He renamed himself Fyodor Fyodorovich Tomas, married twice, acquired a mistress, and took Russian citizenship.
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US Born African Descendant 2 Russian Citizenship
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London in the Nineteenth Century
- By: Jerry White
- Narrated by: Neil Gardner
- Length: 21 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Jerry White's London in the Nineteenth Century is the richest and most absorbing account of the city's greatest century by its leading expert. London in the nineteenth century was the greatest city mankind had ever seen. Its growth was stupendous. Its wealth was dazzling. Its horrors shocked the world. This was the London of Blake, Thackeray and Mayhew, of Nash, Faraday and Disraeli. Most of all it was the London of Dickens. As William Blake put it, London was 'a Human awful wonder of God'.
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SO DETAILED..SO VERY VERY DETAILED.
- By Count B on 06-16-19
By: Jerry White
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Turner
- The Extraordinary Life and Momentous Times of J. M. W. Turner
- By: Franny Moyle
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 17 hrs and 45 mins
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J. M. W. Turner is one of the most important figures in Western art, and his visionary work paved the way for a revolution in landscape painting. Over the course of his lifetime, Turner strove to liberate painting from an antiquated system of patronage. Bringing a new level of expression and color to his canvases, he paved the way for the modern artist.
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Balanced biography of a complex artist
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By: Franny Moyle
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Life in Ancient Rome
- By: Lionel Casson
- Narrated by: John Glouchevitch
- Length: 5 hrs and 8 mins
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Lionel Casson paints a vivid portrait of life in ancient Rome - for slaves and emperors, soldiers and commanders alike - during the empire's greatest period, the first and second centuries AD.
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Help me fill in the gaps!
- By Larry W. Patrick on 07-17-24
By: Lionel Casson
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Picasso's War
- How Modern Art Came to America
- By: Hugh Eakin
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In January 1939, Pablo Picasso was renowned in Europe but disdained by many in the United States. One year later, Americans across the country were clamoring to see his art. How did the controversial leader of the Paris avant-garde break through to the heart of American culture? The answer begins a generation earlier, when a renegade Irish American lawyer named John Quinn set out to build the greatest collection of Picassos in existence. His dream of a museum to house them died with him, until it was rediscovered by Alfred H. Barr, Jr.
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Better Books on Picasso Available
- By john burke on 08-17-22
By: Hugh Eakin
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The Written World
- The Power of Stories to Shape People, History, Civilization
- By: Martin Puchner
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Martin Puchner leads us on a remarkable journey through time and around the globe to reveal the powerful role stories and literature have played in creating the world we have today. Puchner introduces us to numerous visionaries as he explores 16 foundational texts selected from more than 4,000 years of world literature and reveals how writing has inspired the rise and fall of empires and nations, the spark of philosophical and political ideas, and the birth of religious beliefs. Indeed, literature has touched generations and changed the course of history.
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Powerful and illuminating!
- By Gloria J. Petit-Clair on 12-04-17
By: Martin Puchner
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When Paris Sizzled
- The 1920s Paris of Hemingway, Chanel, Cocteau, Cole Porter, Josephine Baker, and Their Friends
- By: Mary McAuliffe
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When Paris Sizzled vividly portrays the City of Light during the fabulous 1920s, les Annees folles, when Parisians emerged from the horrors of war to find that a new world greeted them - one that reverberated with the hard metallic clang of the assembly line, the roar of automobiles, and the beat of jazz. Mary McAuliffe traces a decade that saw seismic change on almost every front, from art and architecture to music, literature, fashion, entertainment, transportation, and, most notably, behavior.
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Informative, but no sizzle
- By OzEnigma on 06-01-17
By: Mary McAuliffe
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What the Ermine Saw
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- By: Eden Collinsworth
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Five hundred and thirty years ago, a young woman sat before a Grecian-nosed artist known as Leonardo da Vinci. Her name was Cecilia Gallerani, and she was the young mistress of Ludovico Sforza, duke of Milan. Sforza was a brutal and clever man who was mindful that Leonardo’s genius would not only capture Cecilia’s beguiling beauty but also reflect the grandeur of his title. But when the portrait was finished, Leonardo’s brush strokes had conveyed something deeper by revealing the essence of Cecilia’s soul.
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So Many Names
- By Sue Solomon on 12-13-22
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Midnight at the Pera Palace
- The Birth of Modern Istanbul
- By: Charles King
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At midnight, December 31, 1925, citizens of the newly proclaimed Turkish Republic celebrated the New Year. For the first time ever, they had agreed to use a nationally unified calendar and clock. Yet in Istanbul - an ancient crossroads and Turkey's largest city - people were looking toward an uncertain future. Never purely Turkish, Istanbul was home to generations of Greeks, Armenians, and Jews, as well as Muslims.
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INTERESTING SUBJECT - CONFUSED WRITING
- By The Louligan on 01-18-15
By: Charles King
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The Ugly Renaissance
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- By: Alexander Lee
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
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Renowned as a period of cultural rebirth and artistic innovation, the Renaissance is cloaked in a unique aura of beauty and brilliance. Its very name conjures up awe-inspiring images of an age of lofty ideals in which life imitated the fantastic artworks for which it has become famous. But behind the vast explosion of new art and culture lurked a seamy, vicious world of power politics, perversity, and corruption that has more in common with the present day than anyone dares to admit.
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Author falls into the pit he digs for others
- By Sean on 01-23-16
By: Alexander Lee
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What listeners say about How Paris Became Paris
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- R.S.
- 01-21-20
Wonderful book for anyone who loves Paris!
I highly recommend this book but I have to say in the Audible version it was difficult to continually hear the references to artwork, drawings and maps that were not accessible. There needs to be a downloadable section that accompanies this Audible book!
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- eliz
- 07-28-15
A great history of my favorite city!
Any additional comments?
This book was quite enlightening about the development of Paris, and the innovations that have led urban development. Loved it!
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- Dante
- 04-12-21
I was worried because of the reviews.
This book was so intriguing. Loved it all. The pictures are referred to often in the book so I highly recommend having the book in hand. This book gives the foundations to the modern-day lovely Pairs as we know it and how it developed 1600s-1700s.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon shopper for years!
- 08-10-22
Interesting
I learned a lot... especially how Haussman's designing were possible piggy backed from earlier work during the 16th.. 17th century and so much more... Thank you
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- DJ
- 07-18-15
Excellent template for how to brand a city
A knowledgeable clear and well written story about the evolution of Paris.The book documents the strategic planning to change the city from a medieval to the first modern city in Europe.
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Overall
- Kealani
- 11-26-18
Sparkling
Fascinating, chrisp history connects the various developments and inventions which made Paris the City of Light and every travelers mecca. Blessed with perfect French, the Reader delivers every noun and nuance so beautifully as to truly complement the flowing threads of this history.
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- notamatopoeia
- 06-25-14
frustrating
Any additional comments?
The book was fairly easy listening, given the topic, but it made regular references to illustrations - to which I didn't have access. I'm going to read the book myself instead.
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6 people found this helpful
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- ATN
- 09-02-16
An entertaining look at how urban development impacts culture
While this book took a little while to get going it comes into its own talking about how urban development had dramatic impact on culture and the development of style and fashion. An enjoyable listen.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Russell Welch
- 03-11-15
Fascinating history, but narrator is unbearable
Bottom line: listen to a sample of this narrator before you buy.
I listened to this in preparation of an upcoming visit to Paris. The history of the city is fascinating and relevant. The author breaks up certain aspects of the city's development (e.g. building the Pont Neuf, development of Paris's fashion dominance) and talks about how each contributed to the Paris we know now--and ultimately, every modern city.
But wow, the narrator is absolutely horrendous. He reads every sentence with so much drama and superiority, you'd think he was actually trying to evoke the ridiculous stereotype of a stuck up Parisian. I am not sure why the narrator insisted on reading like that, because it doesn't sound natural and the text itself doesn't read like that at all.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Acteon
- 06-07-15
Wonderful
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
This book contains a wealth of information that complements our knowledge of European history in the early modern period. It is far more than merely a history of Paris: it sheds light on a variety of elements that together constitute the transformation of the European world. I felt constantly delighted and enriched, and was reminded of the joy I experienced when in the 1970's I read Braudel's 'Civilisation matérielle et capitalilsme', a seminal book that opened up many new vistas. The present book not only makes life in 17th century Paris more real, it also ties together many strands that thread through that epoch, thereby enhancing our understanding of France and Europe.
What was one of the most memorable moments of How Paris Became Paris?
Many "aha" moments.
Have you listened to any of Robert Blumenfeld’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No, but he is just about the only narrator who pronounces French well, and that alone makes him my favorite narrator for any book that contains many French names. I can understand some listeners not liking his way of speaking, but I think it is fine, and good French pronunciation (alas so rare) is in itself worth at least a star!
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes, but perhaps that would be too much. It is inebriating but intellectual stimulation cannot be enjoyed in one gulp.
Any additional comments?
Having read some of the more negative comments, and not feeling inspired myself during the first half hour, I was VERY pleasantly surprised as the book went on. I do agree that this is a book that particularly appeals to those with an interest in European history, and especially to those acquainted with French history and with Paris. If you have not already developed such an interest, this is perhaps not the place to start. If you have, the book is not to be missed.
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1 person found this helpful