No comments about Forty Plus and Fancy Free: The gay excursion of youthful grandmothers romping through Paris and Italy and "doing" the Coronation.

No comments about AAA Essential Paris, 6th Edition (Essential Paris).

No comments about An African in Paris.

5 comments about Paris Revisited: The Guide for the Return Traveler.

1. A friends passed me this book--and after finding it so useful I've passed it on to others. It's not a typical guide book...and it is. What's great about this book is that it gets you off the beaten path a bit, and it's fun to read. Lots of info, and like a standard guidebook it has all the relevent information. As a more intimate guide, this author isn't afraid to tell you what he thinks or how he thinks--but the bottom line is always Paris in all its beauty and complexity. It's a good read, as well as a great guide. And for first time travelers, it might be ok, too.



2. Accessibly written by Gary Lee Kraut (winner of FracePress' Prix d'Excellence for work on France), Paris Revisited: The Guide For The Return Traveler is an excellent travel guide to exploring the splendors of France's grand capital, whether you are returning for revisit or are experiencing Paris' cultural, historical, and architectural grandeur for the very first time. Covering both famous and infamous historical sites, grand museums, prime shopping locals, choice hotels, extensive adventure and gastronomical delights in the restaurant scene, and so much more, Paris Revisited is a superbly organized and enthusiastically recommended reference for enhancing one's travel experience.



3. Very usable guide to your personal tour of Paris. What Parisian visit are you looking for....this time? If it's casual, or romantic, or historical, or the great cafes, or quick highlights, this is the book to have in hand. Mr. Kraut out does himself in this addition to his books on Paris. As a long time American in Paris, Gary Kraut walks you through the most beautiful and interesting and tasty parts of Paris.



4. Most of the mainstream travel books don't fit my personality or have listings that fit my pocket book. This one is for the traveller that wants to see the city - not just other tourists. It's easy to read, has opinions that you can agree (or disagree) with and encourages you to see things, not just for the first time but in a new way. You can tell the book was written by someone that loves the city and he makes you fall in love with Paris too. If you're going to Paris alone, or with someone you're fond of, you'll be delighted. I'm ready to go back.



5. A friend gave this book to me just before my recent visit to Paris and it turned out to be the only one I used. There were extensive descriptions and background for places I'd never heard of before, the guidance intrigued me, and all of the ones I visited turned out to be little gems (and not overrun by tourists) that made my visit more memorable. The major sights are all covered also, but with more of an eye toward appreciation of their charms than a must-see checklist. A great resource.

1 comments about Time Out Paris Eating and Drinking (Time Out Guides).

1. I'll be in Paris again this summer. The last time I was there I bought the Cheap Eats in Paris book which was pretty good, but this time I wanted something with more up to date information. This book looks great; I've been to Paris enough times to know that this book has good, current restaurant info

2 comments about Paris and Around (Charming Small Hotel Guides).

1. We were in Paris in April 2000. From this book we picked a small hotel in the San Germain area, on the Left Bank. We loved the hotel, it was the perfect location for us, and great service. After reading this book, we choose five hotels that we were interested in. I am sure that any of the five hotels would have been to our liking. This book made it so easy to decided where we wanted to stay in Paris. It was recomended to us by a friend who had used it for her trip to Paris.



2. If you would like to find a hotel (in the words of the authors) "as alluring and memorable as the city itself", use this guidebook. If you want all the creature comforts of home, a large air-conditioned room with a big TV in a "known" chain hotel with room service, look elsewhere. Picking a hotel from the choices reviewed in this guide almost assures an added dimension to your experience in the city of Paris. It is well worth the extra $ to add this guide to your trip library in order to find that special place.
   
   The hotels listed are typically locally owned small hotels located in wonderful historic buildings and neighborhoods. Rooms do tend to be smaller at this type of a hotel in all of Europe, including Paris, but the added character of these accommodations more than makes up for the shorter list of amenities and square footage difference. One should not spend a great deal of time in the hotel room while in Paris anyway.
   
   These are the types of hotels I imagine the relatives of local Parisians stay at when visiting the city. Be a traveler, not a tourist, and live some of the local flavor by staying at these choices. I personally have stayed at three of the listed hotels over the last five years and all were exactly as described. Read the reviews carefully and pick the ones that sound best to you. Paris is a very special city; your hotel choice should be special also.

No comments about Blue Guide Paris (Blue Guides).

No comments about Dk Eyewitness Travel Guides: Paris (Eyewitness Travel Guides).

5 comments about Permanent Parisians: An Illustrated Guide to the Cemeteries of Paris.

1. This book is a delight. While it introduces us to the famousresidents of Paris' cemeteries, we live the ups and downs of the humancondition.The soap-opera foibles and the real tragedies of politics, religion, art and science are all enjoyably told. Walking through the cemeteries of this wonderful city is a true experience that will make the traveler appreciate all the notables who selected Paris as their home.



2. Another fine volume in the series by Culbertson and Randall, this book has four separate tours of the legendary Pere Lachaise, as well as coverage of the Pantheon, St. Etienne-du-Mont, Montmartre, St. Vincent, Les Invalides, Passy, St. Germain-des-Pres, the Catacombs, Montparnasse, La Chappelle Expiatoire, St. Denis, and some suburban sites.

   Interesting narrative fleshes out very complete information: directions to each site, maps of each site, biographical sketches of more illustrious permanent residents, and quite a few photographs.

   An invaluable resource for anyone interested in cemeteries, travelers to Paris, or (especially) both!




3. This is a fairly specialist guide book. If you already know you want to follow the cemetery trail, then take it with you, for it is full of fascinating insights into the lives of some of the most famous people buried in this most wonderful of cities.

   If you are a repeat visitor to Paris, or an armchair dreamer, then this is definitely for you. A morning, afternoon or day spent in Pere Lachaise cemetery is an absolute delight. This book can take you there, and beyond.

   Recommended.




4. Paris has what must be the most beautifully peaceful cemeteries in all the world. Each tombstone becomes a extraordinary tribute to a life well lived. This guide book provides maps, some photographs and interesting biographical clips about a few of the permanent residents of Paris. The book gives directions to graves of such well known Parisians as Marcel Proust, Emile Zola, Isadora Duncan, Oscar Wilde, Alexander Dumas, Gertrude Stein just to name a few. Walking tours are provided for Pere Lachaise, The Pantheon, St. Etienne-du-Mont, Montmartre, St. Vincent, Les Invalides, Passy, St. Germain-des-Pres, The Catacombs, Montparnasse, La Chapelle Expiatoire, St. Denis and a few others.

   After taking this guide with me on a trip to Paris I was able to find every grave I searched for with ease and an understanding of exactly what made these permanent Parisians so interesting. Pere Lachaise is overwhelming in scale but probably the most popular cemeterie in Paris. The Pantheon holds scientists and philosophers. Les Invalides proudly holds the remains of a little man named Napoleon with a great big history. The Catacombs are spookily interesting. Montparnasse has many tombstones that could be sculptures standing in the best art houses of Paris. My favorite cemeterie in all of Paris is Passy, a peaceful, quaint refuge underneath the Eiffel Tower, where birds are chirping and old graves lay covered in simple coats of moss and chipped iron, you can almost feel the restful sleep of those who reside within its walls.




5. I can't help but agree with the other reviewers: this book is entertaining and certainly the only serious guide in English to the cemeteries of Paris.
   
   The fact that I was disappointed in their failure to include either of the two major cemeteries in Florence in their Italian book, in particular delle Porte Sante, the resting place of Collodi as well as stunning funerary sculpture, did not preclude me from using their volume Permanent Italians while living in Italy this past year. And after moving to Paris in August of 2006 I was lucky enough to find a used copy of their Permanent Parisians (1986 edition); I then set about documenting the statuary in the cemeteries of Paris.
   
   At first I started out my research in Parisian cemeteries using only the "tours" outlined in the Culbertson/Randall book, and with one exception found their maps are right on the money. (The one exception is a small but important point: on the map of tour no. 4 of Pere Lachaise in division 89, the Delage family, listed as "J", should actually be located in the center of the division not at the corner).
   
   Some weeks later, while poking around a local bookstore I came across Bertrand Beyern's Guide des tombes des homes celebres (2005, in French only). Beyern, a local tour guide of Parisian cemeteries, has documented many of the major personalities in cemeteries throughout France, not just in Paris, and is one of the leading authorities on Pere Lachaise, the primary focus of my work. I also discovered the excellent map of Pere Lachaise produced by "Editions Metropolitain", and available for purchase just outside the entrance to the cemetery. Those resources along with the half-dozen or so superb French websites covering Parisian cemeteries proved very helpful in locating specific individuals. It was after the first several weeks of my work in Pere Lachaise, as well as a number of other cemeteries in the city that I realized there were a number of problems with the Culbertson/Randall book.
   
   (Unfortunately, their publisher, Robson Books, an imprint of Anova Books, never responded to my request to contact the authors. I suspected that some of the problems I discovered might have arisen since their book was written some 20 years and thought a correspondence might have been of some help here.)
   
   Naturally time changes things: earth shifts, things move, and sometimes graves disappear in cemeteries. For example, one of the most striking monuments in Passy cemetery as described in both Culbertson/Randall and Beyern is that of Antoine Cierplikowski. Unfortunately the stone is, well, gone. Not just the statue but also the entire grave.
   
   And even the headstones themselves occasionally change over time. In division 22 of Montmartre cemetery Culbertson/Randall describe the dancer Nijinksy's grave as under a "plain arched stone", when in fact today there is a fantastic life-size sculpture of the deceased in what appears to be a harlequin outfit.
   
   There were a few typos. Douvin in div. 32 of Montmartre should in fact be Dauvin; and the correct spelling of the name is in even in their photo on p. 129. In St. Vincent's cemetery they list the statue over the tomb of Rene and Jean Dumesnil, when in fact it should read Rene and Jeanne. (Jean is a man's name, Jeanne is a woman; a rather important distinction here). This is the same statue found on the cover of their 1986 edition. I also found it curious that the photo of Theodore Gericault in division 12 of Pere Lachaise was reversed.
   
   I also thought it odd they didn't mention the famous American silent film star Pearl White (Perils of Pauline) who is buried in Passy.
   
   On a more serious level I found the tendency of Culbertson/Randall to mention individuals in the text and then not place them on their maps quite frustrating. Frankly I thought that was sloppy and made me wonder if was less a guidebook than a series of amusing anecdotes about famous and the near famous buried in Paris.
   
   Like one reviewer Passy is also my favorite cemetery in Paris: the unique statuary and fantastic stories, all packaged together into such a small place that is hardly ever visited by the tourists, is a real treat. But Passy symbolizes one of the oddest problems with the Culbertson/Randall book: their map of the cemetery is wrong. Or rather it is their divisional layout that bears little resemblance to the actual official cemetery layout today. The authors have, however, placed their "persons' correctly on the map it's just the numbers for each division that is incorrect. Strange.
   
   In St. Vincent's cemetery, on the other hand, the authors failed to use the official division layout. There are online resources here that will serve the visitor much better here.
   
   But it is in Pere Lachaise cemetery that the largest number of errors appeared (all page references from the 1986 edition).
   
   Division 1: (p. 10) They list Gustave Froment and Louis Lemaire; yet they don't seem to be there. In fact they mention that Lemaire has a pyramid resembling the one on the $1 bill and there is no pyramid in division 1 (with the exception of the "Machado de Gama").
   
   Division 3: (p. 10) The authors refer to Marie Lenormand when it should in fact be Mademoiselle Lenormand.
   
   Division 6: (p. 15) They describe the tomb of Ferdinand de Lesseps (builder of the Suez canal) as "pyramid-shaped". See if you think it looks like a pyramid. Send me a note and I'll send you a photo of the tomb.
   
   Page 24: They have a cool little photo here, which I assume they took, but I no idea where they took it: in Pere Lachaise, in Paris where?
   
   Division 12: (p. 28) Serious problem here. The tomb they describe as belonging to Charles Lafont, a man reclining holding a woman's face is in his hands, which is across from Talma actually belongs to Frederick Arbelot and is in division 11, not 12. Lafont is indeed in div. 12 but the other direction from Talma, and closer to Gericault.
   
   Division 12: (p. 30) As already noted the photo of Gericault is reversed.
   
   Division 18: (p. 36) The authors have placed Kellermann in 18 when in fact he belongs in div. 30. In fairness the delineation between the two divisions is confusing.
   
   Division 18: They also report that the woman reaching up to the barred window of Raspail's tomb is his wife. They are right to note that it is mysterious and sorrowful but how do they know the figure is Francois's wife? A shrouded female figure is a frequently used device to demonstrate mourning and is often seen throughout the cemetery.
   
   Division 19: (p. 37) They have placed Dr. Joseph Guillotin (yes that Guillotin) here, near Dr. Hahnemann although there is no other source reporting his burial in this division. Only the "Friends of Pere Lachaise" website lists him as in fact in a long-abandoned tomb in division 7. Take your pick. Here again is an example of the problem that can result from authors not locating everyone on the map.
   
   Division 31: (p. 48) Charles de Talleyrand-Perigord. The authors claim he has his own area all by himself - but I'm at a loss to know what they mean by "area". There is a very large mausoleum located in division 31 which fits the spot on their tour map. The problem is that there are no markings on the mausoleum to denote Talleyrand or Perigord or anyone else for that matter. Furthermore, while the "Editions Metropolitain" map does list one Alexandre de Talleyrand-Perigord no other source mentions this burial. Not even the official cemetery map lists a Talleyrand buried in the cemetery, let alone in div. 31. Moreover, Beyern claims that Charles is buried at his chateau at Valencay in the Loire valley.
   
   Division 54: (p. 61) It is Charles not Auguste de Morny.
   
   Division 67: (p. 66) In regards to the story about Marie Walewska's "hand" on display, inside the locked mausoleum, it is in fact her heart not her hand which is buried in the tomb with her second husband, the Comte D'Orano. Her remains were sent back to Poland. In any case the authors failed to mention that her son, Alexandre Walewski (different spelling from his mother Marie) and the son of Napoleon I is buried in division 66.
   
   Division 71: (p. 68) Regarding the spectacular story about balloonists Croce-Spinelli and Sivel, the authors fail to mention that the survivor of that ill-fated trip aboard the Zenith, and who would go on to become quite famous in the world of high-altitude ballooning, Gaston Tissandier, is buried in division 27.
   
   Division 87: (p. 75) The Columbarium is in fact not a crematorium (a separate structure altogether) but the place where the urns of ashes are located in niches specifically designed for that purpose. Since there are tens of thousands of niches in the Columbarium in Pere Lachaise the visitor must have the niche number or you will simply never find a specific individual. Sadly the authors only locate Isadora Duncan by number - although they do mention the paid of holding hands which is quite nice.
   
   In any case the "Edition Metropolitain"map of Pere Lachaise can provide the visitor with the numbers for diva Maria Callas (16258), American author Richard Wright (848), jazz musician Stephane Grappelli (417) and a number of other well-known internationally known figures.
   
   Certainly much of the Culbertson and Randall book is true, accurate, enlightening and entertaining. But the existence of so many errors and inattention to detail is nevertheless disturbing.

No comments about Barefoot in Paris Travel Journal (Potter Style).