Jonathan Conlin

Nonfiction, particularly when it is written for the popular audience, way oversells itself. I enjoy reading the social history of this or that item, color, concept, social custom, etc., but let's face it, every thing is not the most important thing ever. No single group of people, no matter how broadly defined, is responsible for saving civilization.

This is one of those kinds of books. The thesis is that London and Paris have spent centuries talking trash about one another, but really, their interaction has created the modern city. The author makes a strong case, and really brings up a lot of fascinating stuff along the way, but of course, peoples and cultures affect one another, and, although it isn't included here, no doubt every other city in the world is part of creating the overall cultural milieu of the modern.

And I'm not trying to give Conlin a hard time. The book was well researched and footnoted, but also pleasurable to read. And he really did bring up some cool history. I learned a great deal about pleasure gardens, cemeteries, apartments, restaurants, and music halls, and I was entertained the whole way. Conlin does that James Burke trick of tying everything together that I so love, so that we see what Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allen Poe have to do not only with each other, but with the modern business of detective work and CSI and urban policing. There is an interplay between art and entertainment, between fad and social improvement schemes, and it's very clear and well documented. Besides, burial customs are always intriguing.

Library copy.… (meer)