City of Light

"The demolition and rebuilding of Paris during the Second Empire was, then as now, a subject of impassioned disagreement.... [An] astute, gossipy history."

"Highly readable... Christiansen grounds Haussmann's story in the political turmoil of the times."

"Witty, learned and informative...This little book will make you want to walk the expansive elegance of Paris, as well as its back streets, from one end to the other, seeking of French history in the sites it brings so vividly to life."

"If you are heading for Paris...be sure to put City of Light in your bag...Rupert Christiansen's account of the destruction and rebuilding [of Paris] is masterly-vivid, dramatic...and ultimately tragic."

"Good reading for all lovers of the City of Light."

"A concise yet admirably thorough account of the reinvention of one of the world's great cities...Engrossing."

"A valuable contribution to modern French and urban history."

"Brisk, vivid, and unexpectedly stirring."

"Christiansen writes about the streets he clearly loves with wit and élan...Christiansen's splendidly illustrated book made this homesick expat look at Paris with new eyes."

"If you are heading for Paris...be sure to put City of Light in your bag...Rupert Christiansen's account of the destruction and rebuilding [of Paris] is masterly-vivid, dramatic...and ultimately tragic."

"Elegant and gorgeously illustrated."

"A history buff's must-bring Parisian travel companion."

"Detailed.... Christiansen...looks back over this time of major upheaval whose results can still be seen today."

"In City of Light, Rupert Christiansen illuminates the tumultuous years of the Second Empire (1852-70) of Napoleon III who, in league with Parisian overlord, Baron Georges Haussmann, rewrote the script for what a modern city should be. Written deftly and with an unfailing eye for colorful detail, City of Light offers an insightful and heartfelt appreciation of the nineteenth-century origins of a world city."