Join us on a literary world trip!
Add this book to bookshelf
Grey
Write a new comment Default profile 50px
Grey
Subscribe to read the full book or read the first pages for free!
All characters reduced
The Story of Paris - cover

The Story of Paris

Thomas Okey

Publisher: Good Press

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Summary

The Story of Paris is a historical work by Thomas Okey. Okey was an author, translator and expert in architecture, here taking a thorough chronological look at the city's history and legendary locations. Excerpt: "Two epoch-making developments—the creation of Gothic architecture and the rise of the University of Paris—synchronise with the period covered by the reigns of Philip Augustus and St. Louis, and may now fitly be considered. The memory of the Norman terror had long passed from men's minds. The Isle de France had been purged of robber lords, and with peace and security, wealth and population had increased. The existing churches were becoming too small for the faithful and new and fairer temples replaced the old: the massive square towers, the heavy walls and thick pillars of the Norman builders, blossomed into grace and light and beauty. Already in the beginning of the twelfth century the church of St. Denis was in urgent need of extension. On festival days so great were the crowds pressing to view the relics, that many people had been trodden under foot, and Abbot Suger determined to build a larger and nobler church. Great was the enthusiasm of the people as the new temple rose. Noble and burgess, freeman and serf, harnessed themselves like beasts of burden to the ropes and drew the stone from the quarry. A profound silence reigned, broken only by the murmur of those who confessed their sins when a halt was made. A trumpet sounded, banners were unfurled, and the silent host resumed its way. Arrived at the building the whole multitude burst forth into a song of praise. All would lend their[Pg 85] aid in raising the new house of God and of His holy martyrs, and the burial-place of their kings. In 1161 Maurice de Sully, a peasant's son, who had risen to become bishop of Paris, determined to erect a great minster adequate to the demands of his time. The old churches of Notre Dame and of St. Stephen[58] and many houses were demolished, and a new street, called of Notre Dame, was made."
Available since: 11/27/2019.
Print length: 2056 pages.

Other books that might interest you

  • Ethiopia - through writers' eyes - cover

    Ethiopia - through writers' eyes

    Yves-Marie Stranger

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Ethiopia is one of only a handful of countries that shock the traveller with their unique perspective. These places awaken a deep sense of wonder and offer a rare opportunity to observe the world from a different angle, to see things anew. Ethiopia: through writers' eyes is the perfect companion to any exploration of this idiosyncratic country, be it from the precarious saddle of an Abyssinian mule, or the comfortable folds of an armchair. A compendium of all things Ethiopian, with excerpts translated from writings in a number of languages including Amharic, the book peoples the land with a caste of priest-kings descended from Solomon and Sheba, and with many of the eccentric adventurers who have been drawn there: Jesuit explorers and missionaries, foolish would-be conquerors and writers of all stripes.
    Show book
  • Searching for George Gordon Meade - The Forgotten Victor of Gettysburg - cover

    Searching for George Gordon...

    Tom Huntington

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    A historian chronicles the life of the Union Civil War general while recounting his own unusual journey during his investigation into the past. Who was George Gordon Meade? He should be remembered as one of the Civil War’s most important generals. Instead, history has pushed him aside. The hot-tempered Meade received command of the Union’s dysfunctional Army of the Potomac only three days before he defeated Robert E. Lee’s Confederates at Gettysburg. After that, Meade watched his reputation decline, thanks in part to the escape of Lee’s army, hostility from politicians and the press, the machinations of Gen. Daniel Sickles, and the rise of Ulysses S. Grant. “I suppose after a while,” Meade once grumbled, “it will be discovered I was not at Gettysburg at all.”  The Rodney Dangerfield of Civil War generals, Meade gets no respect—and author Tom Huntington wanted to find out why. In Searching for George Gordon Meade, he tells the story of the general’s life and his participation in the Civil War’s great engagements, from George McClellan’s Richmond Campaign to Appomattox. Huntington also provides accounts of his own investigations of Meade’s legacy. Along the way he hikes across battlefields, recites the names of fallen soldiers at a candlelit ceremony at Gettysburg, drinks a champagne toast at Meade’s grave on New Year’s Eve, and visits a severed leg, a buried arm, and a horse’s head. The result is a quirky and compelling mash-up of history, biography, travel, and journalism that casts new light on an overlooked figure from the past. Praise for Searching for George Gordon Meade“Unique and irresistible.” —Harold Holzer, chairman of Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation“Huntington’s wry, boisterous biography-within-a-travel journal . . . strives to remake the reputation of Meade and offers a compelling new way to approach biography.” —John G. Shelby, Meade: The Price of Command, 1863–1865 “It’s the rare reader who will not enjoy accompanying Huntington on his search for Meade.” —America’s Civil War "A refreshingly readable and well-researched book. . . . Searching for George Gordon Meade should be required reading for all those interested in Civil War history.” —Civil War News
    Show book
  • Tales of the Alhambra - cover

    Tales of the Alhambra

    Washington Irving

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    One of the most entertaining travelogues ever written, Washington Irving's Tales of the Alhambra is a heady mix of fact, myth, and depictions of secret chambers, desperate battles, imprisoned princesses, palace ghosts, and fragrant gardens, described in a wistful and dreamlike eloquence. Irving, who also penned "Rip Van Winkle" and "Sleepy Hollow," wrote Tales of the Alhambra during a stay at the legendary Alhambra in Granada, Spain. The Alhambra is a combination fort, palace, and gardens dating from the thirteenth century, filled with fantastic Arabic architecture (ornate plasterwork, ceramic tiles, sculpted marble fountains, and archways) and plenty of room for imagining the days of its former greatness, which Irving brings to life most memorably. Even though Tales of the Alhambra is over 170 years old, it seems as if it was written yesterday. There are tales of princes, genies, lost and found loves, enchanted treasures, battles, hellish headless horses, and commentary on the Spanish landscape and nature of the Spaniards that he lives with. Full of bewitching music, the smell of roses and exotic perfumes, fiery sunsets, and the ghosts of the past, Tales of the Alhambra is a sensory treat as well.
    Show book
  • Walking the Nile - cover

    Walking the Nile

    Levison Wood

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    The explorer and author of Walking the Americas and Walking the Himalayas delivers “a bold travelogue, illuminating great swathes of modern Africa” (Kirkus Reviews). 
     
     
    Starting in November 2013 in a forest in Rwanda—where a modest spring spouts a trickle of clear, cold water—writer, photographer, and explorer Levison Wood set forth on foot, aiming to become the first person to walk the entire length of the fabled river. He followed the Nile for nine months, over 4,000 miles, through six nations—Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, the Republic of Sudan, and Egypt—to the Mediterranean coast. 
     
    Like his predecessors, Wood camped in the wild, foraged for food, and trudged through rainforest, swamp, savannah, and desert, enduring life-threatening conditions at every turn. He traversed sandstorms, flash floods, minefields, and more, becoming a local celebrity in Uganda, where a popular rap song was written about him, and a potential enemy of the state in South Sudan, where he found himself caught in a civil war and detained by the secret police. As well as recounting his triumphs, like escaping a charging hippo and staving off wild crocodiles, Wood’s gripping account recalls the loss of Matthew Power, a journalist who died suddenly from heat exhaustion during their trek. As Wood walks on, often joined by local guides who help him to navigate foreign languages and customs, Walking the Nile maps out African history and contemporary life. 
     
    “Woods emerges as a dutiful and brave guide.”—Los Angeles Times 
     
    “Many have attempted this holy grail of an expedition—so I admire Lev’s determination and courage to pull this off.”—Bear Grylls 
     
    “A brilliant book.”—Financial Times
    Show book
  • Carrauntoohil and MacGillycuddy's Reeks - cover

    Carrauntoohil and...

    Jim Ryan

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    A guide to 20 of popular walking routes on the MacGillycuddy's Reeks contains full-colour maps specially commissioned from the Ordnance Survey, photographs and map references. This guide also encompasses the history of the area, its geology and natural history, its place names and people. It offers useful information on travel and accommodation.
    Show book
  • The Art of Pilgrimage - The Seeker's Guide to Making Travel Sacred - cover

    The Art of Pilgrimage - The...

    Phil Cousineau

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    A literary and meditative guide to bringing purpose and meaning to every journey you take, now updated with a new preface by the author.   We are descendants of nomads. And although we no longer partake in this nomadic life, the instinct to travel remains. Whether we’re planning a trip or buying a secondhand copy of Siddhartha, we’re always searching for some kind of pilgrimage. With remarkable stories from famous travelers, poets, and modern-day pilgrims, The Art of Pilgrimage is for the mindful traveler who longs for something more than diversion and escape.   Through literary travel stories and meditations, award-winning writer, filmmaker, and host of the acclaimed Global Spirits series Phil Cousineau shows readers that travel is worthy of mindfulness and spiritual examination. Whether traveling to Mecca or Memphis, Stonehenge or Cooperstown, one’s journey becomes meaningful when the traveler’s heart and imagination are open to experiencing the sacred.   This edition of The Art of Pilgrimage includes a new preface by the author, more than seventy illustrations, and stories, myths, parables, and quotes from many travelers and many faiths.
    Show book