Thinking about Paris

As a follow-up on yesterday’s post on visions for the future of Paris, I wanted to recommend an outstanding book on the city’s history: Norma Evenson’s Paris: A Century of Change, 1878-1978 (published by Yale University Press).

If I were allowed to choose one book on Paris (for a sojourn on a desert island, for a mission to Mars, or to introduce a Martian to the city), this would be that book. Here’s why:

• Through a series of painstakingly researched essays, dense with footnotes, Evenson paints a portrait of Paris as a living city.
• Each essay deals with an aspect of urban planning: commuting, where people live, building heights, automobile traffic. Each essay is readable alone, in a single sitting.
• Paris is shown as in evolution. The century-long scope is ideal. 1878 is close enough to us to be comprehensible, and the 1978 cut-off date permits Evenson to present major post-war changes, especially the growth of the periphery.
• Evenson’s scholarship is remarkable. For those with time and patience, her notes and bibliographic references help researchers to pick up where she left off.
• The book is fun: Evenson tells stories well.
• The illustrations and photographs have been chosen with care, like courtroom exhibits.
• It’s now 30 years old and has stood the test of time: it’s as informative and enjoyable today as it was when released. It may now be out of print, but I’ve seen it in architectural bookstores and in libraries.