"Neighbours and Rivals, more than a travelogue, is a tract: one that calls for more pragmatism in the running of a modern city and out of which our policymakers would do well to take a leaf." - Country Life
The first work of great French journalist Louis-Sébastien Mercier, this seminal work of travel writing remained unpublished for over 200 years.
Mercier first travelled to London, and began recording his impressions, in 1780. An exemplar of a new form of journalistic, reflective literature, he presented emotive representations of the city as collections of experiences, habits and personalities. And differently from Dickens's London or Baudelaire's Paris, with their contrasts of opulence and misery, Mercier describes a less familiar urban environment - more optimistic, perhaps even utopian. His version of London is, in fact, a projection of his philosophical imagination - not simply a rounded portrait but also a reflection of what he hoped Paris could become.
For this first publication in English, Laurent Turcot and Jonathan Conlin's translation preserves the life and humour of Mercier's text. It is illustrated with contemporary images, with an emphasis on Thomas Rowlandson and Gabriel-Jacques de Saint-Aubin, the first Parisian flâneur-artist.
| ISBN: | 9781843682707 |
| Publication date: | 1st July 2025 |
| Author: | LouisSébastien Mercier |
| Publisher: | Pallas Athene |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 284 pages |
| Series: | Pallas Athene |
| Genres: |
Classic travel writing |
"Neighbours and Rivals, more than a travelogue, is a tract: one that calls for more pragmatism in the running of a modern city and out of which our policymakers would do well to take a leaf." - Country Life
The first work of great French journalist Louis-Sébastien Mercier, this seminal work of travel writing remained unpublished for over 200 years.
Mercier first travelled to London, and began recording his impressions, in 1780. An exemplar of a new form of journalistic, reflective literature, he presented emotive representations of the city as collections of experiences, habits and personalities. And differently from Dickens's London or Baudelaire's Paris, with their contrasts of opulence and misery, Mercier describes a less familiar urban environment - more optimistic, perhaps even utopian. His version of London is, in fact, a projection of his philosophical imagination - not simply a rounded portrait but also a reflection of what he hoped Paris could become.
For this first publication in English, Laurent Turcot and Jonathan Conlin's translation preserves the life and humour of Mercier's text. It is illustrated with contemporary images, with an emphasis on Thomas Rowlandson and Gabriel-Jacques de Saint-Aubin, the first Parisian flâneur-artist.
Neighbours and Rivals features in the following genres: Classic travel writing
Neighbours and Rivals is available in Hardback
Neighbours and Rivals was written by LouisSébastien Mercier and published by Pallas Athene
Neighbours and Rivals has 284 pages
Yes it is part of Pallas Athene series
£22.49