Revolutionary Paris through daily life and history

Description

Le Nouveau Paris by MERCIER. Brunswick, 1800, from main booksellers, 8°, paperback, under cover, 227 pp. Second volume alone. This work by Louis-Sébastien Mercier, published in 1798, comprises six volumes with independent short chapters (anecdotes, portraits, reflections) documenting Paris during the French Revolution. It serves as a sequel to his twelve-volume Tableau de Paris (1782-1788), which Mercier found obsolete after revolutionary changes. Written partially from his newspaper articles (1789-1796), the New Paris captures both major revolutionary events—the Fête de la Fédération, the trial of Louis XVI, the fall of the Girondins—and everyday Parisian life. Mercier, who served in the Convention and was imprisoned after Robespierre's fall, incorporates autobiographical elements reflecting the conflicts between Mountaineers and Girondins. The work presents 271 chapters across its volumes, examining institutions, notable figures, and the transformations of Paris itself.