A Corner in the Marais: Memoir of a Paris Neighborhood
by Alex Karmel
Category: History

A Corner in the Marais traces the architectural and social development of the City of Lights from its origins as a Roman settlement, through major redevelopments brought about by Henri IV and Baron Haussmann, to the present renovation of old neighborhoods. It begins with Alex Karmel and his French wife realizing a longstanding dream: buying an apartment in the Marais, Paris's celebrated historic district, the site of some of its oldest and most picturesque buildings. It soon becomes clear that their new home, which has witnessed six centuries of French life, offers a fresh and lively vantage point from which to view the city's history, revealing information that will surprise even the most confirmed Francophile. The book concludes with a "walking tour" of the Marais, in which the principal buildings are discussed with brisk authority. Karmel never loses sight of the human details - whether royal feuding, commercial advantage, or family chicanery - that have played their role in shaping Paris as we now know it. Illustrated throughout with photographs and period engravings, A Corner in the Marais is ideal reading for anyone who loves exploring the hidden byways of vieux Paris and experiencing history from a very personal viewpoint.