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Paris

Secret Gardens, Hidden Places, and Stories of the City of Light
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( 32 ratings, 13 reviews)
Brief Description
Follow in the footsteps of history to discover the hidden places, extraordinary people, and captivating stories of Paris. Paris: Secret Gardens, Hidden Places, and Stories of the City of Light, Mary McAuliffe’s multilayered exploration of Paris, weaves a narrative that takes the reader into secret and... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2999
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Follow in the footsteps of history to discover the hidden places, extraordinary people, and captivating stories of Paris.

Follow in the footsteps of history to discover the hidden places, extraordinary people, and captivating stories of Paris.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Follow in the footsteps of history to discover the hidden places, extraordinary people, and captivating stories of Paris.

Paris: Secret Gardens, Hidden Places, and Stories of the City of Light, Mary McAuliffe’s multilayered exploration of Paris, weaves a narrative that takes the reader into secret and hidden places, even in the midst of the most well-known Paris destinations.

McAuliffe’s hidden places can be small but are always revealing, whether a bas-relief on an ignored corner of Notre-Dame or an overlooked courtyard inside an ancient and busy hospital. She takes the reader below the streets and sidewalks of Paris to discover ancient aqueducts and a lost river, and she prompts the reader to notice overlooked treasures in the most trafficked of museums.

Always, McAuliffe’s focus is on people and their stories. Evil queens, designing noblemen, bold chevaliers, and desperate lovers mingle with Resistance fighters and obsessed artists rising out of abject poverty into unexpected fame and fortune, adding to the tidal wave of creativity that is the lifeblood of the City of Light.

One person, place, and story lead to another, each linked by a common thread within the layered richness of Paris’s past. The story of Paris is not a chronology but an exploration of the many layers of this remarkable city throughout the ages.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9798216397014

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 23 July 2026

Country: United States

Imprint: Rowman & Littlefield

Illustration: 1 Maps

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 156.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 304

About the Author

Mary McAuliffe PhD taught at several universities, and lectured at the Smithsonian Institution, the Barnes Foundation, and the Frick Pittsburgh. She traveled extensively in France, and for many years she was a regular contributor to Paris Notes. Her books include Clash of Crowns, Dawn of the Belle Epoque, Twilight of the Belle Epoque, When Paris Sizzled, Paris on the Brink, and Paris, City of Dreams. Mary sadly passed away in 2024.

Also by Mary McAuliffe

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  • Paris, City of Dreams
    Armchair historians in particular will appreciate McAuliffe’s readable yet detailed history supplemented with illustrations and bibliography. Booklist, Starred Review Acclaimed historian Mary McAuliffe vividly recaptures the Paris of Napoleon III, Claude Monet, and Victor Hugo as Georges Haussmann tore down and rebuilt Paris into the beautiful City of Light we know today. Paris, City of Dreams traces the transformation of...
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  • Twilight of the Belle Epoque
    Mary McAuliffe’s Dawn of the Belle Epoque took the reader from the multiple disasters of 1870–1871 through the extraordinary re-emergence of Paris as the cultural centre of the Western world. Now, in Twilight of the Belle Epoque, McAuliffe portrays Paris in full flower at the turn of the twentieth century, where creative dynamos such as Picasso, Matisse, Stravinsky, Debussy, Ravel,...
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  • Paris
    Paris: Secret Gardens, Hidden Places, and Stories in the City of Light, Mary McAuliffe’s multi-layered exploration of Paris, weaves a narrative that takes the reader into secret and hidden places, even in the midst of the most well-known of Paris destinations. McAuliffe’s hidden places can be small but are always revealing, like a bas-relief on an ignored corner of Notre-Dame...
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  • Paris, City of Dreams
    “Armchair historians in particular will appreciate McAuliffe’s readable yet detailed history supplemented with illustrations and bibliography.” Booklist, Starred Review Acclaimed historian Mary McAuliffe vividly recaptures the Paris of Napoleon III, Claude Monet, and Victor Hugo as Georges Haussmann tore down and rebuilt Paris into the beautiful City of Light we know today. Paris, City of Dreams traces the transformation of...
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