Discover one of the world's most fascinating and beautiful cities through 30 dramatic true stories spanning the rich history of Paris. John Baxter takes readers through 2,000 years of French history with tales of the kings, queens, saints, and sinners who shaped the city. Essays explore the major historic events from the martyrdom of Saint Denis near today's Abbesses Métro station to the epic romances of Heloise and Abelard, Josephine and Napoleon, and George Sand and Frédéric Chopin. Learn about the labyrinth of catacombs snaking under all of Paris and the artists who called the seedy Montmartre home in the 19th century. Then see it all for yourself with guided walking tours of each of Paris's historic neighborhoods, illustrated with color photographs and period maps.
Here and there, if you know where to look, it still is possible to catch a glimpse of an almost-vanished Paris: a scene, an object, that somehow has miraculously survived decades, even centuries. Old-fashioned Pleasures of Paris is a small and exquisite catalog of these rarities. Christophe Destournelles has discovered dozens of vintage “moments”: confiseries, barbershops, glove shops; a bougnat (a café that traditionally also sold coal) a bouillion (a restaurant that originally served soup); hookah lounges, movie theatres, harness races, dive bars, and underground jazz clubs. He’s found vintage photo booths, carousels, public scales, the last remaining pissoir. He’s uncovered tiny establishments that quietly carry on with obscure trades: phonograph, radio, and clock repair; hand pressing; shoe polishing. Small details that would be easy to overlook are celebrated in all their everyday glory: the illuminated subway map, the café where the napkins of regulars are kept in a nook, the once-ubiquitous little stand of hardboiled eggs that once could be found on every zinc bar. Each of these spots, however humble, is worth a visit; even the routier, a restaurant that originally served truck drivers, is a visual feast, with its yellow formica counter, red and white checked napkins, and handwritten menu, antique café chairs, and vintage signage. Lovers of Paris will be thrilled to know what streets are particularly beautiful when the snow falls, the history of old telephone exchanges, and where to find old-timers playing pétanque. This is a book for visitors—addresses and phone numbers are listed for each venue—and armchair travelers who will be transported to another place and time by the sumptuous photographs. Literary quotations throughout add another layer of romance to this book that celebrates Paris past and present.
"In Old Paris is a useful teaching volume, with modest aims which are accomplished tidily. It provides a selection of five descriptions of the city between the fourteenth and eighteenth centuries. There are passages from Jean de Jandun's A Treatise on the Praises of Paris (1323); from Guillebert de Mets's The Description of the City of Paris (early fifteenth century); from A Description of Paris written in the late sixteenth century by the Secretary to the Venetian ambassador in Paris; from Marana's A Pleasant Critique of Paris (1692); and Karamzin's Letters from Paris (1790). The editor tells us that these particular texts have been chosen because "they are the most interesting and vivid descriptions of the city from each of those centuries that are suitable for an anthology." The introductions to each text bring out the vividness of the detail well and also comment on the very different genres to which each text belongs. With the exception of Karamzin, all are made available in English for the first time. The translations look crisp, and the scholarly apparatus comprises a brief appendix on the size and population of Paris, some useful maps, and a fairly lengthy "architectural gazetteer." The latter is a little luxuriant, in a volume less than half of which is primary text, and I would have preferred footnotes to the architectural gazetteer. But these are niggles. All in all, this is a job done well: let us hope that Professor Berger finds an audience." http://www.h-france.net/vol3reviews/vol3no83jones.pdf.
To the ghost, Madeline said "Pooh-pooh." Madeline and her favorite companion in mischief, Pepito, embark on their wildest adventure yet. When ghostly moans lead them to the attic of the old house in Paris, they discover Felix de La Morte, who has lingered there for hundreds of years, waiting for the return of a certain comet. With the comet due to return the very next day, the poor fellow’s telescope has been stolen by mean Lord Cucuface, and it is up to Madeline and Pepito to get it back. A nighttime trip across Paris, a midnight apparition, and all is happily resolved in time for the three new friends to view the comet on a starry night.
For the first time, Poil0/00ne, CEO of the Poil0/00ne bakery, provides detailed instructions so bakers can reproduce its unique "hug-sized" sourdough loaves at home, as well as the bakery's other much-loved breads and pastries. Beyond bread, Poil0/00ne includes recipes for such pastries as tarts and butter cookies. cookies.
The first guide of its kind to the amazing array of vintage clothing shops in Paris grouped by neighbourhood and complete with descriptions of what each shop specialises in and price ranges.
A number of baffling cases confront the renowned Vidocq, chief of the famed Surete Nationale, and his loyal staff of reformed criminals that hot summer of 1823. There is the murder of the famous Parisian jeweler, and the murder of Maya, the Spanish whore, shot with the same gun -- and systematic looting of treasures from the great chateaux by The Black Devil, and more. With a heady, rich nineteenth century atmosphere, this mystery is a keeper!
Jean-Louis Gaillemin recounts the fascinating history of antique dealing. He provides a tantalizing account of how, when and, why, over the past two centuries, Paris -- the world capital of the antiques market -- attributed, or denied, certain antiques and antique dealers their popularity and reputation. To complement this historical account, the book includes a practical guide which lists addresses of dealers, organized by district and speciality, as well as key museums.
A full-color traveler's volume outlines four walking tours through some of its most significant historical areas, offering insight into how specific regions and buildings have changed, in a resource that provides specific coverage of the work of Georges-Eugne Haussmann. Original.
One hundred of the Louvre's greatest masterpieces are reproduced with accompanying commentaries by the museum's chief curator of painting. -- adapted from jacket.
