In its long and vast history, Paris has been variously represented as a prison, a paradise and a vision of hell. It has also been characterised as a beautiful woman, a sorceress, a demon, even the corpse of an old whore. Like Peter Ackroyd's biography of London, Andrew Hussey's book on Paris makes no claim to be a definitive history. Instead, it is an account of the city's history from the point of those who experienced it - its citizenry. It is a city of secret adventures, hidden meanings which on journeys from royal palaces to bars, brothels and opium dens, this book uncovers. Covering two thousand years of history, this is a fascinating, vivid portrait of an endlessly intriguing city.