paris a short history jeremy black hbA concise history of Paris and the great events and personalities, from prehistory to the present, that have shaped its unique cultural legacy. Once described as that metropolis of dress and debauchery by the Scottish poet David Mallet, then as now Paris had a reputation for a peculiar joie de vivre, from style to sex, cookery to couture, captivating minds and imaginations across the Continent and beyond. In Paris: A Short History, Jeremy Black