[.ca] Paris: Capital of the World (ISBN 0674008871)

Intriguing new perspective:
If you're looking for a general history of Paris, this book is not for you. On the other hand, if you already have a fair knowledge of Parisian history and culture, and if you are intrigued by the intersections of reality and imagination, don't miss it. Anyone who has ever lived in a big city, especially one with history, knows that the essence of the city is more than simply the sum of its buildings and inhabitants. This is particularly clear in the case of Paris - as a city, it is almost more myth than reality. Everyone is familiar, to some extent, with the images and ideas associated with Paris. Higonnet's book can show you how and when these myths originated. The amount of casual erudition in the book can be overwhelming at times, but a dedicated reader will find it rewarding. In addition, Higonnet's ever-elegant and quietly ironic style, combined with what is clearly a deep feeling for Paris, will make you want to keep on reading even when the sheer quantity of information is intimidating.

How can you make Paris dull? Here's how...:
I was tricked into buying this book. It is being marketed as a general history of Paris for the traveler or Francophile. Unfortunately, it reads much more like someone's masters thesis. As such, it brings with it all the usual problems of academic writing. Here is a sample sentence: "In perfect anthithesis to this, phantasmagoria was an ideological mechanism of exclusion." Sadly, there's lots more where that came from. This book was not written to entertain, inspire, or inform the reader; it was written to promote the author's erudition. If you're looking for a general history of Paris, I'm sure there are many other options that are more readable.