General Books

Streetwise Paris Map - Laminated City Center Street Map of Paris, France - Folding pocket size travel map with metro map including lines & stations

Streetwise Maps

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 71 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Very Useful Map Of Central Paris 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I generally like the "Streetwise" series of laminated maps, and their Paris map is no exception. It is compact, clear, easy to use, and exceptionally durable. It covers the city center of Paris, and the front side centers along the middle of the city with the Seine River running roughly along the midline. Northern and southern extremities, an index, and a Metro map are located on the back. All in all it is exceptionally useful for both planning a trip in conjunction with a guidebook as well as actually maneuvering on the ground in the city.

The most important landmarks are well defined on the map, and the information presented is accurate and current in my experience (it was revised in 2008). If you want to get out of central Paris you will need another map. Every map is designed for a specific purpose, and this one is designed for use by tourists of central Paris; for this purpose this map is exceedingly well suited, and I recommend it unequivocally.

Editorial Review:

Streetwise Paris Map - Laminated Center City Street Map of Paris, France - Folding pocket size travel map with integrated metro map including lines & stations

This map covers the following areas:
Main Paris Map 1:14,000
Paris Metro Map
Map of France

French Milk

Lucy Knisley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Charming Paris Mother/Daughter Travelogue 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

The Glass Castle author Jeannette Walls once told me that memoir should be universal, and I've kept that in mind ever since when I read them. What I think she meant is that while a memoir is specific to the storyteller in the details, anyone should be able to relate to it, somehow. As I read Lucy Knisley's French Milk, I was struck by her storytelling, but also her age, use of photography, and that I could never write such a book, though I too have traveled to Paris with my mother.

The fact that her divorced parents are on good terms, a fact she casually drops in, resonated with me, especially when her father comes to join them for a brief visit during their six-week trip. This would never happen in my divorced family, and it made me, briefly, jealous--again, this goes back to Walls's maxim; my life circumstances may not be the same as Knisley's, but hers caused me to reflect on my own. She also exhibits a particular pride and faith in her work (with the occasional doubts), one that I still struggle with in my early thirties. Her dedication to her art and the creation of this book are apparent. Other moments are brief but powerful, such as going up the Eiffel Tower on a particularly windy day, where Knisley writes, "You could feel the tower move in the wind and see the birds blown off course."

I was torn as to the value of the photographs she included; at first, I thought there was something unfair about it, but then I came upon one of her kissing a wall and realized there was no other way to capture that moment, at least, not so thoroughly. The photos are used sparingly, without comment, filling in gaps in her story, fleshing them out and creating what feels more like an intimate scrapbook than a memoir, albeit an accessible one.

French Milk is a travelogue, and as such, sometimes the details of each meal become less interesting toward the end. But it's Knisley's personality, and little details that make this book so charming, whether it's the odd characters she meets or her feeling low on a particular day or railing against a piece of bad art, going so far as to name the artist, who's made a rendition of Paris Hilton, by name.

I finished the book a bit jealous of Knisley's closeness with her mother, and impressed that she managed to finesse both the details and the bigger picture, a portrait of a young woman just starting out in "the real world," but taking a detour to a city full of pastries, lush dinners, cemeteries, art and adventure before she does so. French Milk will appeal to Americans who've, like Knisley, fallen for Paris, and those looking to recapture their college traveling days. As for me, I'm giving a copy to my mom, and hope that our travels are as fruitful.

Editorial Review:

Through delightful drawings, photographs, and musings, twenty-three-year-old Lucy Knisley documents a six-week trip she and her mother took to Paris when each was facing a milestone birthday. With a quirky flat in the fifth arrondissement as their home base, they set out to explore all the city has to offer, watching fireworks over the Eiffel Tower on New Year's Eve, visiting Oscar Wilde's grave, loafing at cafés, and, of course, drinking delicious French milk. What results is not only a sweet and savory journey through the City of Light but a moving, personal look at a mother-daughter relationship.

French Country Diary 2009 (Desk Diaries)

Linda Dannenberg

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

French Country Diary - Calendar 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I absolutely love this beautiful, well-designed calendar. Also, Amazon does a great job!

Lovely gift 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I've been giving the French Country Diary to my mother (now my mother-in-law) every year for at least the last 15 years! They both love it for their weekly planners. This is a beautiful hard-bound book with magnificent photographs of the countryside.

Editorial Review:

The elegant and ever-alluring French Country Diary, now in its twentieth year, is the gift of France—a sumptuous escape to its romance and timeless beauty. Market stalls piled high with fresh produce. Stone farmhouses with brightly painted shutters. Undulating landscapes of brilliant yellow colza and purple lavender, rustic country kitchens and sun-dappled courtyards, vines dripping from trellises, and dreamy blue Mediterranean views. Distinctive Provençal fabrics embellish the cover, gift box, and pages of the calendar.

Immoveable Feast: A Paris Christmas (P.S.)

John Baxter

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Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Gastronomy -> Essays

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A witty cultural and culinary education, Immoveable Feast is the charming, funny, and improbable tale of how a man who was raised on white bread—and didn't speak a word of French—unexpectedly ended up with the sacred duty of preparing the annual Christmas dinner for a venerable Parisian family.

Ernest Hemingway called Paris "a moveable feast"—a city ready to embrace you at any time in life. For Los Angeles–based film critic John Baxter, that moment came when he fell in love with a French woman and impulsively moved to Paris to marry her. As a test of his love, his skeptical in-laws charged him with cooking the next Christmas banquet—for eighteen people in their ancestral country home. Baxter's memoir of his yearlong quest takes readers along his misadventures and delicious triumphs as he visits the farthest corners of France in search of the country's best recipes and ingredients. Irresistible and fascinating, Immoveable Feast is a warmhearted tale of good food, romance, family, and the Christmas spirit, Parisian style.

Quiet Corners of Paris

Jean-Christophe Napias

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Paris of my dreams 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

A charming book that will lead you to places known to seasoned and local Parisians. Not the run of the mill tourist spots. You will become part of "secret Paris".

Nice little book but pictures aren't that inspiring. 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I was looking forward to photos that would wet my appetite; that were unique and made me long to go back to Paris. They were neither unique nor inspiring. An interesting little book but if I were in a book store and leafing through it, I would have past.

Editorial Review:

More than eighty of the loveliest, most tranquil, and sometimes hidden places in Paris are celebrated in this charming guidebook

Quiet Corners of Paris is a beautifully illustrated peek into eighty-one often overlooked, always beautiful, locales: hidden villas, winding lanes, little-known 19th-century passages, serene gardens, and cobblestone courtyards. Some of the places have breathtaking views, others are filled with historic and architectural details, from stone archways, garden follies, boxwood mazes, ornamental statuary, stained glass, and Renaissance fountains. Follow a stone path under a trellis of blossoms or wander through a gate to discoverÉ

Rick Steves' Paris 2009 (Rick Steves)

Rick Steves, Steve Smith, Gene Openshaw

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Best walks and advise. 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Just returned from Paris using this book - Rick Steves created wonderful walks that brought us to the best places. We had a wonderful trip thanks to the advise in this book. Highly recommend that you bring this book with you to Paris.

Editorial Review:

The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the cozy crêperies of Ile St. Louis—Rick Steves’ Paris 2009 allows any traveler to experience all that the City of Light has to offer, from the big-name attractions to the local favorites. Rick covers the best of Paris, providing full tours of the museums and historic sights, detailed walks through various neighborhoods, and complete coverage of Parisian cuisine. Pick from over 400 types of cheeses at the fromagerie on Rue Cler or take a day trip to Versailles—it’’s all possible with Rick Steves as your guide.

Frommer's Paris 2009 (Frommer's Complete)

Darwin Porter, Danforth Prince

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Editorial Review:

America’s #1 bestselling travel series

Written by more than 175 outspoken travelers around the globe, Frommer’s Complete Guides help travelers experience places the way locals do.

• More annually updated guides than any other series
• 16-page color section and foldout map in all annual guides
• Outspoken opinions, exact prices, and suggested itineraries
• Dozens of detailed maps in an easy-to-read, two-color design

You'll never fall into the tourist traps when you travel with Frommer's. It's like having a friend show you around, taking you to the places locals like best. Our expert authors have already gone everywhere you might go—they've done the legwork for you, and they're not afraid to tell it like it is, saving you time and money. No other series offers candid reviews of so many hotels and restaurants in all price ranges. Every Frommer's Travel Guide is up-to-date, with exact prices for everything, dozens of color maps, and exciting coverage of sports, shopping, and nightlife. You'd be lost without us!

Completely updated every year (unlike most of the competition), Frommer's Paris features gorgeous full-color photos of the sights and experiences that await you. It covers all the traditional tourist favorites but also lets you in on local finds, neighborhood hangouts, and little-known gems.

In case you're worried about the city's high prices, we've included tips on finding the best airfare, plus a host of affordable hotels and restaurants. And if money is no object, we'll show you the best places to spend it, from the Ritz to the hippest new boutique hotels, from grand dining rooms serving classic haute cuisine to the latest cutting-edge restaurants.

You'll rely on Frommer's for a complete guide to the city's sights, from the Louvre to Notre-Dame. We've included suggested itineraries plus a chapter of detailed walking tours that will help you get acquainted with the most intriguing neighborhoods. We'll help you find the city's best pastries, enjoy the best after-dark diversions, and shop til you drop; then we'll take you on side trips to Versailles, Chartres, Fontainebleau, Giverny and Disneyland Paris. It's all here in one easy-to-use guide, complete with a color fold-out map and color map of the Metro.

Timeline (Unabridged)

Michael Crichton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1780 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Amazing Techno-Thriller 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Just my cup of tea! A mixture of science, history, and the underlying social ramifications - if time travel becomes a reality. No fluff, no extraneous drawn out descriptions, just right into the action. Crichton, with his medical and science background infuses a sense of reality into his stories.

A great read I recommend to everyone.

A better way to time travel 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 4 people found this review helpful.

After reading Crichton's explanation of the science behind time travel, I've developed an even simpler way to travel through time. All you need to do is shoot yourself in the head. At that exact moment, another copy of you will appear in a parallel universe that is exactly like our own, except that it is in a different time. You may wonder how shooting yourself in the head transports you to another dimension. The answer is that it does not. You see, the copy of you did not come from *our* universe, but from another universe that is exactly like our own, except that they know how to travel through time. True, the copy of you in our universe will be dead, but at least you can get a decent burial, since your body won't have been utterly annihilated as it would have been if you had used Crichton's inferior time-travel device. Plus, my method of time travel is a lot less expensive to develop.

Editorial Review:

An old man wearing a brown robe is found wandering disoriented in the Arizona desert. He is miles from any human habitation and has no memory of how he got to be there, or who he is. The only clue to his identity is the plan of a medieval monastery in his pocket. So begins the mystery of "Timeline", a mystery that will catapult a group of young scientists back to the Middle Ages and into the heart of the Hundred Years' War. Imagine the risks of such a journey. Imagine the impossible.

Rick Steves' France 2008 (Rick Steves)

Rick Steves, Steve Smith

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Thanks Steve. We had a blast. 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Having used many guidebooks, I think these are the best. Granted, the Rick Steves books are unique in that they are selective in the areas that they describe, but these areas are described well. With his guides, you feel like Rick is on the trip as your personal tour guide. Most guides (Frommers, Foders, etc.) give you a superficial overview of the whole country. Rick lets it all hang out. He tells what he thinks is a worthwhile stop and what isn't. Most of what "isn't" doesn't make it into the guidebook at all. Thus, I suggest taking another more comprehensive book (Lonely Plantet, Rough Guide, etc.) to fill in any gaps should you find yourself in a location Rick doesn't describe. On the whole though, I love his itineraries. Most people traveling to Europe have limited time (1 month or less). There's only so much you can see; why not have someone boil it down and provide a straight forward opinion as to what to see and do? In his books there is easily enough to keep you busy for two months. The real question is whether you are the type of traveler that would like Rick's suggestions. Here is a test. If you can answer "yes" to most of these questions, buy the book, you'll love it. 1)Are you a value seeker? 2)Do you want to venture off the tourist trail? 3)Are you an adventurer? 4)Do you appreciate tidbits on history and art 5)Do you have the stamina to tour a new town/city every 1-3 days? 6)Do you try to avoid tourist traps like the plague? 7)Is your idea of fine lodging simple, homey places in good locations, with moderate prices? I would not suggest this book for people who want to spend their vacation walled up in a luxury hotel, venturing out only to shop and tour the biggest of sights.

Editorial Review:

Rick Steves doesn't just list where to travel in Europe — he leads travelers through the "back door" and reveals how to give every journey an extra, more authentic dimension. He shows travelers how to delve into European culture, make friends with the locals, and experience each region's natural wonders — economically and hassle free. Rick Steves' France 2008 is no exception, covering Paris, Provence, and the French Riviera. Completely revised and updated, this guide includes opinionated coverage of both famous and lesser-known sights, friendly places to eat and sleep, suggested day plans, walking tours and trip itineraries, and clear instructions for smooth travel anywhere by car, train, or foot. America’s number one authority on travel to Europe, Steves' time-tested recommendations for safe and enjoyable travel in Europe have been used by millions of Americans in search of their own unique European travel experience.

Paris (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE)

DK Publishing

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 53 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

This guidebook made making our way around Paris a piece of cake 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 0 people found this review helpful.

We have just returned from Spring Break in Paris and the "Paris: Eyewitness Travel Guide" was our guidebook for our trip. Of course, the photo illustrations in any DK book are always impressive, and since I always like to see where I am going and what is to see there without having to Google everything, that was an obvious plus with this book. I must admit that II do not really think about this particular book as a guidebook for getting in-depth information about places; when I want that sort of information I get a guidebook at the place (only thing I bought on the trip were guidebooks and postcards). In practical terms this guidebook functioned as our menu for the trip, allowing us to see what was available and when you could visit, which was crucial because visiting hours change based on the month and the day (my biggest piece of advice based on this trip is that if you can go see the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay at night--Wednesday and Thursday respectively--you will enjoy them a lot more without the massive crowds during the day).

For me the best part of this guide book ended up being the maps. Paris is gridded out in 18 maps in the back of the book and for each region of the city there is a general map of the entire area with "Sights at a Glance" marked along with metro and train stations. Add to the mix the Paris Metro and Regional Express Railway (RER) map inside the back cover, and we found it incredibly easy to find things. We got a 5-day Metro pass and had the fortune of our hotel being right down the street from the Montparnasse Bienvenile station, which was the intersection of several metro lines (plus linked to a train station which allowed us to go to Chartres and be back by 1 in the afternoon). Except for a bus tour/river cruise the first night and a side trip to Versailles, we did not have our trip planned out. We had a list of things we wanted to see and each day would pick a starting point and work out our other options as we went along. These maps were great for making that relatively easy. Nor did we feel that we were restricted to the restaurants in our area because we were able to use our maps to head off into the night and find them.

The only exception would be the maps of the Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise and Cimetiere du Montparnassem because they were not extremely helpful in trying to find several of the graves I was trying to track down. Those of Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison are easy to find because there are also several people standing around them, but finding those of Moliere, Sarah Bernhardt, and Samuel Becket were much harder. The guide does provide tiny icons representing what the graves actually look like, but the locations can be troublesome, especially when the graves are not right on a walkway. But there are detailed maps for Pere Lachaise and signs at the entrances that you can photograph with your digital camera and reference as you walk about (courtesy of your magic zoom button).

I bought the book a year before our trip, when my impromptu suggestion that we go to Paris for Spring Break was derailed by the lack of a current passport. So there is a minor concern that information is not totally current. On the one hand the Musee de l'Orange with Monet's water lily series was open, but the one place my wife wanted to go, the restaurant atop La Samaritaine, was derailed because the department store was closed. As long as you suspect that these sort of things are always going to happen (I felt sorry for the law students visiting the Louvre to discover that the Code of Hammurabi was not on display), you should be able to roll with these punches. Final word of advice regarding this particular guidebook: Make sure that you have a purse or a coat with pockets large enough to accommodate the peculiar not quite "pocket" size of this guide.

Editorial Review:

The Eyewitness Travel Guide helps you to get the most out of your trip with minimum difficulties. The opening section Introducing Paris locates the city geographically, sets modern Parisian its historical context and explains how Parisian life changes through the years. Paris At a Glance is an overview of the city's specialties. The main sightseeing section of the book is Paris Area by Area. It describes all the main sights with maps, photographs and detailed illustrations. Get to know Paris with The Eyewitness Travel Guide.