This book traces the profound transformation of the City of Light during Napoléon III's Second Empire, as he and Georges Haussmann completely rebuilt Paris in less than two decades. Their breathtaking-and brutal-achievement was mirrored by dramatic social, cultural, and political changes, all brought to life through McAuliffe's evocative narrative.

"Armchair historians in particular will appreciate McAuliffe's readable yet detailed history supplemented with illustrations and bibliography." Booklist, Starred Review • This book traces the profound transformation of the City of Light during Napoléon III's Second Empire, as he and Georges Haussmann completely rebuilt Paris in less than two decades.

As the world's most magical city, Paris was created over the centuries by kings, emperors, and presidents, but, as Mary McAuliffe so magisterially reveals in Paris, City of Dreams, no one played a greater role in the modern configuration of this wondrous city than Louis-Napoleon and his chief urban advisor, Baron Georges Haussmann. Reading this masterful account, one realizes how Napoleon III and Haussmann transformed a city of narrow lanes, insalubrious dwellings, and staggering pestilence into a triumph of vital sanitation and unparalleled beauty, creating the broad boulevards and architectural masterpieces so universally admired.