Books: The Greater Journey

Americans in Paris? No not the lost generation. Think before WWI, before Hemingway. Hmm.. David McCullough’s new book, The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris, covers the years roughly between 1830 and 1900 and those famous Americans who lived in and were influenced by Paris during that time. The group included: Thomas Jefferson, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Mark Twain, Samuel Morse Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt and Harriet Beecher Stowe. But I think McCullough’s greater point here is to show just how that Parisian influence was transferred back through these people to American society, directly effecting American art, medicine, writing, science, and politics. And the influence was profound. And that is the originality this book offers. McCullough doesn’t merely offer a biographical sketch, but takes it a step further showing just how much Paris affected America. This fresh approach makes this book a pleasure to read. And McCullough’s enthusiasm for is topic is contagious. It’s obvious that McCullough believes that history is much more than politics and battles. It seems to him that history is more a symphony of all that is human: music, art, literature, poetry, theatre and science. You will love to getting into the details this book offers, especially if you are interested in Paris or are going there soon. One note however, I read this book in electronic format others have told me the print edition is fabulous because of the quality of the binding and the fine paper used. Recommended.