XII+296 pp. - colour and b/w ill. - softbound - printed 2014
English text
ALSO AS FREE BOOK (class C)
The book, illustrated with reproductions of covers, postage stamps, letters and documents, deals with the fascinating postal history of the Siege of Paris - the Balloon Post, Microphotography and the Pigeon Post, and other astonishing examples of man's bravery and inventiveness - and describes in greater detail the characters, events, and aspects of life in Paris during those momentous months of 1870-71. The Siege of Paris marked the climax of the Franco-German War. The siege lasted from mid-September 1870 to the end of January 1871.
William Brown was an Englishman who lived and worked in Paris throughout the siege. This book contains the remarkable series of letters that he wrote to his wife Margaret, in England, during this period. His letters have survived for more than 140 years, and form a unique archive of the siege.