Synopses & Reviews
This unique guide to one of the world’s most beloved tourist destinations combines fascinating articles by a wide variety of writers, woven throughout with the editor’s own indispensable advice and opinions—providing in one package an unparalleled experience of an extraordinary place.
This edition on Paris features:
● Articles, interviews, and reminiscences from writers, visitors, residents, and experts on the region, including Ina Garten, André Aciman, Judith Jones, Mireille Guiliano, Naomi Barry, and Patricia Wells.
● In-depth pieces that illuminate such treasures of the City of Light as the bridges on the Seine; Parisian train stations; cobbled streets and hidden gardens; the peculiarities of the French language; the delights of French bread, chocolate, and wine; and much more.
● Enticing recommendations for further reading, including novels, histories, memoirs, cookbooks, and guidebooks.
● An A–Z Miscellany of concise and entertaining information on special shops, hotels, and museums not to be missed; French phrases and customs; boat trips on the Seine; Jewish history; antiques; spas; tips for shopping; and the most romantic spots in Paris.
● Recommendations for excursions to Chartres, Fontainebleau, Burgundy, Brittany, and Champagne.
● More than 150 photographs and illustrations.
Synopsis
Each edition of this unique series marries a collection of previously published essays with detailed practical information, creating a colorful and deeply absorbing pastiche of opinions and advice. Each book is a valuable resource -- a compass of sorts -- pointing vacationers, business travelers, and readers in many directions. Going abroad with a
Collected Traveler edition is like being accompanied by a group of savvy and observant friends who are intimately familiar with your destination.
This edition on Paris features:
Distinguished writers, such as Mavis Gallant, Barbara Grizzuti Harrison, Herbert Gold, Olivier Bernier, Richard Reeves, Patricia Wells, Catharine Reynolds, and Gerald Asher, who share seductive pieces about Parisian neighborhoods, personalities, the Luxembourg Gardens, Père-Lachaise and other monuments, restaurants and wine bars, le Plan de Paris, and le Beaujolais Nouveau.
Annotated bibliographies for each section with recommendations for related readings.
An A-Z "renseignements pratiques" (practical information) section covering everything from accommodations, marches aux puces (flea markets), and money to telephones, tipping, and the VAT.
Whether it's your first trip or your tenth, the Collected Traveler books are indispensable, and meant to be the first volumes you turn to when planning your journeys.
About the Author
BARRIE KERPER is an avid traveler and reader who has lived abroad and previously worked for the travel book division of the original Banana Republic. She is also the author of Central Italy -- Tuscany & Umbria and the forthcoming Provence.
Table of Contents
Introduction
FRANCE
France: The Outsider by Ian Jack
Dreyfus Is Decorated
La Poste and I by Barbara Wilde
The French, Rude? Mais Non! by Joseph Voelker
Recommended Reading
PARIS
Foreword to John Russell’s Paris by Rosamond Bernier
According to Plan—Maps of Paris by Catharine Reynolds
Why I Love My Quincaillerie by Barbara Wilde
Thirza’s Take on Paris by Thirza Vallois
Proust’s Paris by Sanche de Gramont
We’ll Always Have…Questions by Ann Burack-Weiss
Recommended Reading
Interview: Patricia Wells
LES QUARTIERS
The New Left Bank by Alexander Lobrano
On the Île Saint-Louis by Herbert Gold
The Paris of Parisians by Catharine Reynolds
Recommended Reading
LA CUISINE FRANÇAISE
A Saga of Bread by Naomi Barry
Liquid Gold by Susan Herrmann Loomis
The Anatomy of Success: Remi Flachard, International Specialist in Vintage Cookbooks by Naomi Barry
Why We Love French Wine by Peter Hellman
Recommended Reading
Interview: Kermit Lynch
Interview: Ina Garten
A TABLE!
A Clean, Well-Lighted Café in Montparnasse by Adair Lara
Counter Culture: The Success of Breaking the Rules by Naomi Barry
Thanksgiving in Paris by Laura Chamaret
Recommended Reading
Interview: Alexander Lobrano
MUSEUMS, MONUMENTS, AND GARDENS
The Walls of Paris by Mary McAuliffe
Affordable Gothic Thrills by Anne Prah-Perochon
A Tale of Two Artists by Catharine Reynolds
Of Cobbles, Bikes, and Bobos by David Downie
Perfection Squared by André Aciman
Solar-Powered Timekeeping in Paris by Susan Allport
Station to Station by Barbara Dinerman
Streets of Desire by Vivian Thomas
Paint the Town by Paris Muse
Passages by Catharine Reynolds
The Secret Shops of the Palais Royal by Barbara Wilde
Recommended Reading
THE SEINE
Bridging the Seine by Vivian Thomas
Recommended Reading
PERSONALITIES
The Master of the Machine by John Russell
The Message by Jeannette Ferrary
We’ll Always Have Paris by Stacy Schiff
Le Père Tanguy by Henri Perruchot
Recommended Reading
THE ÎLE-DE-FRANCE AND BEYOND—EXCURSIONS FROM PARIS
Interview: David Downie and Alison Harris
A PARIS MISCELLANY