Metronome

A History of Paris from the Underground Up

Loránt Deutsch

• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN: 9781250023674
• eBook ISBN: 9781250023681
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: French History
• Index: History

A fascinating history of Paris through the lens of the city's iconic Metro system—a phenomenal bestseller in France—"An entertaining guide, full of anecdotes about the hidden treasures of the capital" ( Livres Hebdo ).

"I loved this book. . . . [It] invites you to go and see what remains of Parisian history in the Paris of today." ? Art Souilleurs (5 Stars)

Did you know that the last Gallic warriors massacred by the Romans lie beneath the Eiffel Tower? That the remains of Paris's first cathedral are under a parking lot in the Fifth District? Metronome follows Loránt Deutsch, historian and lifelong Francophile, as he goes on a compelling journey through the ages, treating readers to Paris as they've never seen it before.

Using twenty-one stops of the subway system as focal points—one per century—Deutsch shows, from the underground up, the unique, often violent, and always striking events that shaped one of the world's most romanticized city. Readers will find out which streets are hiding incredible historical treasures in plain sight; peer into forgotten nooks and crannies of the City of Lights and learn what used to be there; and discover that, however deeply buried, something always remains.

"A delightful read, and one that has opened the history of Paris to thousands of people who would never ordinarily open a history book." ? Stephane Kirkland, author of Paris Reborn

"Lively and fun, [ Metronome tells] the story of the City of Lights in chronological order with little expense." ? Le Figaro Literary

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Notice
• Dedication
• Contents
• Introduction
• First Century: Cité, Caesar’s Cradle
• Second Century: Place d’Italie, All Roads Lead to Rome
• Third Century: Notre-Dame-des-Champs, The Martyrdom of Saint Denis
• Fourth Century: Saint-Martin, Paris, Imperial Residence
• Fifth Century: Louvre-Rivoli, Paris, Capital of the Franks
• Sixth Century: Saint-Michel-Notre-Dame, The Merovingians, Elder Sons of the Church
• Seventh Century: Saint-Germain-des-Prés, From One Abbey Emerges Another
• Eighth Century: Saint-Denis, The Final Splendor of Kings
• Ninth Century: Châtelet-Les-Halles, The Hour of the Counts
• Tenth Century: La Chapelle, Triumph of the Capetians
• Eleventh Century: Arts et Métiers, The Millennium Myth
• Twelfth Century: Philippe Auguste, Paris, Capital of France
• Thirteenth Century: Maubert-Mutualité, The University Takes Off
• Fourteenth Century: Hôtel de Ville, The Birth of the Third Estate
• Fifteenth Century: Château de Vincennes, Paris at Risk
• Sixteenth Century: Palais-Royal-Musée du Louvre, The Shadow and Light of the Renaissance
• Seventeenth Century: Invalides, The Price of the Great Century
• Eighteenth Century: Bastille, The Fury of the Faubourg
• Nineteenth Century: République, In Five Acts and Dramatic Moments
• Twentieth Century: Champs-Élysées-Clemenceau, The Ways of Power
• Twenty-first Century: La Defénse, Back to the Start
• About the Author
• Copyright