Geneva Painted by J. Hardwicke Lewis & May Hardwicke Lewis. Described by Francis Gribble.

This beautifully illustrated volume invites listeners to wander through Geneva’s lakeside streets, guided by the keen eye of its painters and the descriptive prose of a seasoned chronicler. Sixty‑two full‑page colour plates capture sunrise over Mont Blanc, the glittering lake, and the city’s grand public spaces, while a sketch‑map helps orient the journey. The authors unfold the city’s layout—wide quays, elegant theatres, bustling hotels—showing how modernity has reshaped a once‑medieval town. Yet the narrative never loses sight of the quiet corners where history still lingers.

The commentary turns gently to the old city, perched on a hill where the cathedral, the Town Hall with its historic inclined plane, and Calvin’s Academy still stand amid narrow stair‑streets. Here one can picture the world of Rousseau’s birth and the echoes of centuries‑old plagues and fires that shaped Geneva’s character. The authors balance admiration for contemporary clean‑line architecture with a nostalgic reverence for the cramped, colourful quarters that are now disappearing. Listeners will come away with a layered portrait of a city caught between preservation and progress.