If there’s one novel that stands out for its focus on the history of architecture it is Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo.

Although buildings often take on a character of their own in works of fiction, Hugo bases his entire history of Paris on the architectural movements and the dedication that gives rise to arguably the city’s most famous landmark.

You could say that Notre-Dame de Paris, known to many as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, does for European architecture what Moby Dick does for whale-hunting. It dissects the subject and gives it an unerring sense of gravitas right in the midst of a wonderfully engaging story.

It’s good come away from a novel feeling you have learned something and Notre-Dame de Paris definitely has that effect. Right from the first sentence you can tell that Hugo’s real passion is architecture and his enthusiasm for it lays the groundwork for an incredibly vivid homage to the French capital and its skyline.