Vincent Lemire: La Soif de Jerusalem: Essai d'hydrohistoire (1840-1948) Publications de la Sorbonne, Paris, 2010, 663 pp, ISBN 978-2-85944-659-8

摘要

The monograph La Soif de Jerusalem by historian Vincent Lemire presents a profile of the urban history of Jerusalem between the 19th and 20th century, explored through the lens of the water supply system. The book is a comprehensive and extremely detailed study of the technical and socio-economic aspects related to the water provisioning of Jerusalem, a city undergoing demographic expansion and facing a constant scarcity of pure water. La Soif de Jerusalem consists of nine chapters divided into three sections, followed by an epilogue, conclusions, and an appendix. For this undertaking the author uses previously untamed handwritten sources, as well as a wide array of pamphlets, technical reports, and projects, kept in a variety of archives and private collections, sometimes of difficult access. Unlike previous studies, the book narrates the modern history of the city through the personalities involved in the canalisation and distribution of water. Lemire brings to the spotlight the agency of philanthropists and travellers, technicians and administrators, politicians and officers, consuls and religious authorities.