No comments about Market Day in Provence (Fieldwork Encounters and Discoveries).

1 comments about Sandrine's Paris: A Cultural History of the World's Most Romantic City.

1. Sandrine is magic .... Her style and presentation is sublime. Her intimate knowledge of Paris and it's history is remarkable. She takes you there and shows you the charm of Paris. I simply MUST visit Paris now .

2 comments about Lighthouses of France: The Monuments and Their Keepers.

1. This massive hardcover book is the perfect compliment to it's big brother (North Atlantic Lighthouses. Both these books are the collective works of the worlds best lighthouse photographer (Jean Guichard). This is the man who uses analogue techniques and is not a Photoshop convert. (He's the man who brought you the famous photo of the lighthouse keeper who nearly gets hit by the wave.)

   The difference between this book and "North Atlantic Lighthouses" is that North Atlantic deals with the... ...North Atlantic(USA, Canada, Iceland, Scotland, England and Wales, Ireland, and France) while "Lighthouses of France" deals with... ...French lighthouses only.

   BUT, If your like me then the French lighthouses are the most attractive, alluring and charming lighthouses in the world. Lighthouses such as the famous La Jument (the mare), Le Four (the oven), Pierres Noires (Black Rocks). The book displays historic pictures which you won't see elsewhere (e.g. shots of relief of the keepers at Ar-Men.) You will also get the entire sequence of the wave and the keeper at La Jument. (Including the shot that everyone wants to see, "the aftermath", this is the shot that shows the keepers fate. It's located on page 92, my tip is take a close look at the doorway.

   Generally lighthouse books such as this have text accompanying it explaining the various lighthouses. Most books are very factual giving details such as tower hight, beacon type/colour, signal time, ect... (this is what happens in the other book North Atlantic Lighthouses, where the text is by Ken Trethewey). The information in that book is generally very interesting although it comes up a very distant second to the magnificent photos.

   Well in Lighthouses of France the text (by Rene Gast) is no distant second. Hell it's right up there on par with the photos. The text doesn't deal with the lighthouses directly. It mainly deals with the keepers and their interactions with these beacons of the sea. You'll get a taste for what it was like to build, man and maintain these monuments.

   The stories that are retold will astound, amaze and horrify. Find out what it's like to be one of the two keepers at Kereon on December 16th, 1989 at 6:10pm. When the two portholes in the kitchen were hit by an enormous wave,(where they were watching TV at the time) during a horrific storm. Read on as all the furniture is washed out the front door. A quote from Jean-Pierre Lecuq "we could hear the breakers forming about five hundred meters out. It sounded like a thousand bulldozers coming to crush us, then came the deafening crash of the wave exploding against the tower, which in fifteen years' service I had never seen shudder like that."

   Basically RIVETING reading JAW DROPPING Photos. BUY IT NOW... A TREASURE...




2. If you're like me and are captivated by the famous photograph of a lighthouse keeper standing in the door of an old stone lighthouse, and the lighthouse itself, both of which are about to be engulfed by a HUGE wave, you'll be captivated all over again by this book. The photo was one of several taken of a lighthouse known as "la Tempete," off the coast of western France, that was made into a series of posters, some of which grace a lot of walls around the world, including mine. I had to have the poster of the lighthouse keeper's perilous moment, and when I found out about this book, I had to have it too. I'm glad I did, because it tells the fascinating story behind the "la Tempete" photos, and showcases more of Jean Guichard's life work, the lighthouses of France and his artistic shots of structures that are on that country's registry of historic buildings. A great book to have and enjoy, even if you're like me and only mildly interested in lighthouses, but engrossed by the story behind THAT photograph.

2 comments about John Kent's Venice.

1. This is like no other book on Venice I have found. It has been our companion on two trips. As we ride the Vaparetto, the history of the buildings unfolds. I read out loud to my sweetie, and before you know it, other English speaking tourists are hanging on my every word.

   The illustrations are outstanding and along with a more detailed map of the Venetian Islands, any first time visitor can feel immediately at home.

   It doesn't bog one down in great details or teeny tiny print. Can' believe it is our of print!




2. I couldn't agree more with the previous reviewer. We went to Venice in 2006, and this is definitely what you want to have with you as you cruise down the Grand Canal. (And if you're smart, you will have bought a multi-day vaporetto pass, so you can cruise up and down as many times as you want, getting a feel for the city in a leisurely, non-stress fashion.)
   
   Kent's Venice is NOT a substitute for a city map to go walking around with, nor for a good travel guide like Rough Guide or Insight Guides. It doesn't cover every tiny alley, and it won't keep you from getting lost. But when you've wandered into a piazza, and there are no obvious signs, like why is that weird skull carved over the door of that palazzo, or even what palazzo IS it you're looking at, then Kent's Venice is what you want. The simple watercolor illustrations cut out unnecessary detail, and put in clear, identifying details of major landmarks, so you can instantly orient yourself.
   
   I can't recommend this book too highly! We're going to Florence in 2008, and I've already bought Kent's Florence & Siena. I wish there were more books in this series.

No comments about France Profiled: Essential Facts on Society, Business, and Politics in France (Syb Factbook).

No comments about The Gourmet's Companion French Menu Guide and Translator (The Gourmet's companion).

1 comments about Inside Paris: Discovering the Classic Interiors of Paris (Inside...Series).

1. After falling in love with Paris, I took my mother there for her 60th birthday. So, when her 61st birthday rolled around, I bought her this book as a reminder of those wonderful days. Trouble is, I didn't want to part with it so I had to buy my own copy. It's filled with gorgeous photos of the interiors of some of Paris's most-loved buildings and several lesser-known but just as beautiful. A great gift for the Paris lover or any lover of architecture, history, and beautiful spaces.

5 comments about Paris (Citymap Guide).

1. wherever you go, whatever you do, get a knopf mapbook! they're the best - exceedingly accurate and informative, small enough to be ideally portable, and always offering extra stops along the way you might not have thought about - a travelers best friend, and, for $9ish, you really can't afford NOT to get one - they're wholly worthwhile.



2. These guides are incredibly helpful and became my soul companion. They include most of what other travel guides offer, yet they little pull out maps are comprehensive and small enough to be subtle when viewing, helping avoid the helpless tourist profile. When I travel these books are the first I search for in my awaited destination.



3. My wife and I used this guide for our 10 day visit to Paris. We had other guides with us, but this one was by far the most convenient and useful. You WILL want another more in-depth guide as well (this one just hits the high points), but for the maps and tips on the most important sites, this is the one to carry around (it DOES actually fit in the back pocket of my jeans).



4. Just got back from 7 days in Paris and will never travel without one of these guides again. It was the handiest and most convenient guide. Never got lost!!! We went to several of the recommended resturants and enjoyed them.



5. I travel quite a bit and when I travel I try hard not to seem like a "tourist" no big bags, camcorder.. huge guide book and map. I love these guides because they're small and handy. I can pop them in my purse and when I need to pull it out, I don't look lost at all! I love how the guide is laid out by neighborhoods and they have recommendation for restaurants and shops etc.. I have a mapguide for Paris, London, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid and all have been so helpful. I recommend these guides for your next adventure.

No comments about Provence (Philip's Travel Guides).

No comments about Los autonautas de la cosmopista.