Alfred Franklin - Les ruines de Paris en 4875. Documents officiels et inédits

This book by Alfred Franklin, published in 1875, is a work of speculative fiction presented in the form of letters and official reports. It recounts an archaeological expedition from Nouméa that discovers the ruins of Paris in the year 4875, after a cataclysm that reshaped the ancient world. The explorers recognize the grand vestiges of the French capital, once the "queen of the old world," and attempt to reconstruct its history from the traces left by the vanished civilization. The work blends humor, fantasy, and a certain melancholy in the face of a lost era, while playing on the anxieties and questions of its time about the future of civilization.

Alfred Franklin (1830–1917) was a French librarian, historian, and writer, specializing in the history of Paris. After studying at the Collège Bourbon in Paris, he embarked on a literary career and published several major works, including Vie privée d’autrefois (27 volumes, 1887–1902) and Histoire des bibliothèques parisiennes (3 volumes). In 1876, he was awarded the Legion of Honor for his contributions to the history of Paris. This book is his only work of speculative fiction.