Book Launch: "The New Town of Edinburgh: An Architectural Celebration"

In collaboration with Birlinn Books, we are hosting the book launch of The New Town of Edinburgh: An Architectural Celebration edited by Clarisse Godard Desmarest.

About the book
This collection of innovative essays celebrates the New Town of Edinburgh over the 250 years since its original creation. The contributing authors discuss the intellectual, economic and political contexts which provided the impetus for the city of Edinburgh to expand north of the Old Town, and analyse the New Town’s unique architectural status in terms of its size, monumentality and degree of preservation. For centuries, Scotland has pursued innovation, improvement, commerce and contact with England and the Continent; and since medieval times it has been an urbanising land of planned towns. This book reflects on the constantly changing dialogue between Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns, from the eighteenth century to the present time, as the city became increasingly commercialised. It also compares Edinburgh’s New Town with more recent new towns elsewhere, notably nineteenth century Dunedin in New Zealand and Scotland’s planned new-town movement of the twentieth century. The age of conservation is another of the central themes.

By drawing on different approaches to the new town phenomenon in Scotland, this volume pays tribute to Scotland’s vibrant capital, and offers insights into new research on Scotland’s urban development.

About the editor
Clarisse Godard Desmarest is a lecturer at the University of Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, and a fellow of the Institut Universitaire de France. She specialises in Scottish architectural history and heritage, and has held fellowships at the Institute of Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH), Edinburgh College of Art and the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh. She holds an Agrégation in English and is a graduate of Sciences Po Paris. Her doctorate at the Sorbonne, jointly supervised by the University of Edinburgh, was awarded a national prize in France for the best thesis on a Scottish subject.

About the event

Hugh Andrew, Birlinn Limited’s Managing Director, and Clarisse Godard Desmarest, the collection’s editor, will offer brief remarks about the importance of The New Town of Edinburgh: An Architectural Celebration. The book launch will be followed by a drinks reception, where many of the collection’s contributors will be in attendance.

The New Town of Edinburgh: An Architectural Celebration will be available for purchase at the event for the discounted price of £30 (normally £40). Clarisse Godard Desmarest and other contributors will be on hand to sign the book.

Book Launch: The New Town of Edinburgh: An Architectural Celebration
Thursday, 31 October 2019 | 6.30 - 7.30 pm
In ENGLISH | Free, but reservations required

Institut français d'Ecosse
Salle Emilienne Moreau Evrard (1st floor)
West Parliament Square
Edinburgh EH1 1RF

Access Details
The Institut français d'Ecosse and the salle Emilienne Moreau Evrard are accessible with step-free access available at West Parliament Square and George IV Bridge.

Reservations
RSVP by writing directly to events birlinn.co.uk.

IFE Membership and discount rates
To take advantage of discounted member rates and to have access to members-only events throughout the year, we invite you to become a member of the Institut français d'Ecosse.

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