There exist thousands of books covering every theme of Parisian life. Several hundred of these are guide books issued only in the last decade, and a few dictionaries of important Parisian monuments. However, not until now has a single comprehensive work, encompassing not only the existing buildings of this great city but also information about its past and present economic and social institutions, made its appearance.

The Historical Dictionary of Paris begins with an extensive historical chapter of the twenty centuries that separate the Gallic farmers and Roman builders of the city through present-day Paris. The dictionary portion of the book contains over 400 entries and deals with various features of life in Paris. It includes brief biographical sketches of well-known Parisian personalities such as Etienne Marcel, Charles Baudelaire, Maurice Chevalier, Coco Chanel, and Jacques Chirac. The book also contains descriptions of the principal districts and monuments of the city, and numerous thematic entries covering a variety of topics, from commercials and cultural activities of the past, to luxury grocery shops and world famous art galleries and bistros. The book concludes with a large bibliography of nearly one thousand titles, most of them recent and in English. Also includes a chronology of Paris, four maps, and sixteen black and white photographs.