On 7 December 2008, the historian Philip Mansel gave a lecture at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina on Mohamed Ali and the Rebirth of Alexandria. Dr Mansel has published numerous articles and reviews over the past 30 years, he is a specialist on the later French monarchy, and his other main area of interest is the Ottoman Empire. His books include: Louis XVIII (1981), Sultans in Splendour (1988), Paris Between Empires 1814–1852 (2001), Constantinople: City of the World’s Desire 1453–1924 (1995) and Dressed to Rule: Royal and Court Costume from Louis XIV to Elizabeth II (2005).