About Paris

Davis, Richard Harding, 1864-1916Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 202K words
Chapters: 21

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.About Paris by Richard Harding DavisAuthor: Davis, Richard Harding, 1864-1916,Language: English, Class: DC: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: France, Andorra, Monaco, Release Date: Aug 2, 2016

Editor's review

Richard Harding Davis's About Paris is a set of essay-like sketches of Paris, an American journalist-writer's early twentieth-century record of observing a European city. With a newsman's acuity and a novelist's touch, Davis depicts Paris streets, crowds, and daily life; the prose is brisk and vivid, like strolling the city with a well-traveled friend. As a public-domain ebook, its value is not as a systematic travel guide but as a preserved sense of Paris in the eyes of a foreigner of the era, offering useful reference for understanding early twentieth-century American imaginings of France. It suits readers interested in urban writing, travel literature, or journalistic essays for casual dipping, and also serves as material for studying English descriptive prose. Note that this is the original English edition and was written long ago; some social observations carry the limitations of their time and should be read with a critical eye.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English readers who enjoy travel literature and urban essays
Culture enthusiasts interested in early twentieth-century Paris
Writing learners needing examples of English descriptive prose
Readers interested in nonfiction by American journalist-writers

Not a good fit for

Tourists needing practical, up-to-date Paris travel guides
Readers who want a Chinese translation or find English difficult
Readers who prefer systematic historical research or academic monographs

Reading tips

Dip in by chapter, starting with the Paris scenes that interest you most
Read alongside maps or city images to strengthen the sense of space
Excerpt vivid descriptive passages as material for English writing
Distinguish the author's personal observations from objective fact, and read critically

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a Paris travel guide?

It is not a practical travel guide but the author's essay-like observations of Paris, with a personal perspective and the marks of its era. It is better read as travel literature and cannot replace a modern guide with transport, accommodation, and other information.

What English level is needed to read it?

The text is early twentieth-century English prose; the sentences are not very difficult, though some expressions carry a period style. Readers at college English reading level, or those able to use a dictionary, can generally read it smoothly; reading in segments is recommended.

Is the content still accurate today?

The book depicts the Paris of the author's time, and the cityscape and social conditions have changed greatly since; it should not be taken as current fact. Its value lies in historical perspective and literary description, and it is best read as a period text rather than a practical guide.

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About the author

Davis, Richard Harding, 1864-1916 Author

Richard Harding Davis (1864–1916) was an American writer and war correspondent, with 49 works held in this collection. Public information is limited, yet the range of his writing can be seen from the titles listed here: he wrote both war reportage and fiction and character sketches. Notes of a War Correspondent records a reporter's firsthand experiences in the field, Real Soldiers of Fortune tells of adventurous soldiers, while Gallegher and Other Stories and Van Bibber and Others show his skill in the short story, with a light touch and a gift for portraying city life and a variety of characters. His works are often classed as inspirational coming-of-age reading and have circulated among young readers, combining the immediacy of journalism with the readability of fiction; they have influenced later war reporting and popular narrative.