5 comments about Henri Cartier-Bresson: A Propos de Paris.

1. As my favourite photographer, Cartier-Bresson has some kind of impayable discernment. His gallery of Paris is his magnum opus. His Leica, his 50mm lens, his mysterious face... all made him a monumental legend. I bought this gallery (hardcover) in 1995 for the price of $US 50 in Hong Kong. What are you waiting for? Just click it and buy it immediately, you will never regret buying this book.



2. As my favourite photographer, Cartier-Bresson has some kind of impayable discernment. His gallery of Paris is his magnum opus. His Leica, his 50mm lens, his mysterious face... all made him a monumental legend. I bought this gallery (hardcover) in 1995 for the price of $US 50 in Hong Kong. What are you waiting for? Just click it and buy it immediately, you will never regret buying this book.



3. As my favourite photographer, Cartier-Bresson has some kind of impayable discernment. His gallery of Paris is his magnum opus. His Leica, his 50mm lens, his mysterious face... all made him a monumental legend. I bought this gallery (hardcover) in 1995 for the price of $US 50 in Hong Kong. What are you waiting for? Just click it and buy it immediately, you will never regret buying this book.



4. This book is one of two Henri's books I have and the best one. The book to go through again and again. Then go shoot some pictures and go through it again. You'll be surprized how many fresh impressions you'll get every time. Very inspiring book. Highly recommended for practicing fotographers.



5. I have many of Cartier-Bresson's books, but this is the one I find myself drawn to.
   
   Time and again I thumb its pages and find something in the photographs that I never before noticed.
   
   This isn't some book full of "pretty" pictures in the conventional sense. One has to look at each picture to understand what inspired HCB to capture it.
   
   I have a few favorites photos from this book, but those that stand out in my mind are of the picnic by the Marne and of the little boy carrying two large bottles of wine.
   
   The Marne photo is so well layed out that, if one didn't know better, it would seem staged. That simply wasn't Cartier-Bresson's way. Although their faces are not seen, I "know" what each of the people look like.
   
   The opposite is true of the little boy. His face is there for all to see and interpret. What is he thinking? Is he happy? Is he proud to be showing off for the little girls in the background?
   
   Many of HCB's photos force us to read his mind and the minds of his subjects. These seemingly impromptu snapshots not only depict what HCB saw, but also depict it geometrically.
   
   To someone like myself who has dabbled in "street photography", HCB epitomizes the genre.

5 comments about Paris For Dummies (Dummies Travel).

1. My wife and I (very unitiated to Paris) returned from a beautiful trip there last November -- a large part of that due to this book. Ms. Pientka really tries hard to let you get the well known and not so well known of the city and explains the pros/cons to areas so incredibly well. Other books might have more specifics about attractions, but they won't be as comrpehensive as this one. We loved her restaurant choices (even as Vegeterians she had some places for us!). The book was the basis for our trip and we felt we hit everything we wanted (included an out of the way flea market -- my wife loves going to them here and was excited to learn that one happens on the weekends in Paris). The only cons were that it would have been nice to have metro stops (and lines) listed next to each entry and her hotel list could have been more comprehensive. We booked a hotel on our own (not in her book) and loved it. Whether you are going to be in the City of Lights for a 2-3 days or a month, you will love this book.



2. Excellent, well-written, with a great deal of practical, currrent information , a treasure to take with you to Paris



3. I went to Paris, France in 1996. It was a dream come true. I didn't have a guide book of the city and I think this book would have been quite useful if I had to choose about books for Paris, France. One of the American writers, Janet Flanner also known as Genet, wrote from Paris' Hotel Continental for decades. Now that I have this book, I pick it up to look and read about a location, a restaurant, an attraction, etc. What troubled me the most about my trip to Paris was the panhandlers, the homeless children, and the beggars during the hot summertime. I suggest that Paris is not the place to be during a heatwave. Most attractions and Parisian hotels don't have air-conditioning. Maybe that's changed since my last visit. Oh, I yearn to go back again and this book makes me want to go more than ever.



4. I just got back from Paris and I used this book everyday. It was very helpful



5. Full disclosure: I own the 2nd edition of this guidebook, so maybe the omission I found has been corrected.
   
   For the daytrip to Versailles, the author lists two methods of transporation: driving a car or taking a tour bus. However, the easiest, quickest, and cheapest way is to take the RER. It deposits you about 200 yards from the palace. I was shocked that this info wasn't included as every other guidebook mentions it. I hope the newest editions have been updated to include this.

No comments about Frommer's 24 Great Walks in Paris (Great Walks).

No comments about On Paris (On).

No comments about The Best Wine Bars & Shops of Paris: Fifty Charming and Notable Cavistes.

No comments about The Brasseries of Paris.

2 comments about Paris: Wish You Were Here.

1. Great book!
   Fascinating stories as well as interesting facts.
   Bought one for me and one as a gift and it was warmly received.



2. This is an adorable little book; not your typical travel book. There are facts and places to see, lists of museums, etc., but there is more: a list of Americans who lived in Paris, charming illustrations, song lyrics about Paris, Quotes, history, a detailed description of each Arrondissement, where to shop and eat.....selections from David Sedaris, Julia Child, Jack Kerouac, Langston Hughes, Mark Twain, Ludwig Bemelmans, and more...it would be a great send-off for anyone going to Paris for the first time, or going for the fifth time.....every time I flip through it, I see something I hadn't before. Perfect size (not huge), so you could even pack it to take along on your trip. Recommended.

5 comments about The Authentic Bistros of Paris.

1. This book does not go beyond a superficial description of the interiors of the bistros. The writers completely ignore the food and there is not one description of a dish one may expect at any of these establishments.
   
   It is of no value to anyone requiring guidance to select an authentic Parisian bistro.



2. On my way to Paris.... can't wait to visit these Bistros.
   Great descriptions. Good photos.
   More later.



3. If you're Paris-bound and looking for an easy pocket tote to take along - and have heard about the famous bistros of Paris - don't miss Authentic Bistros of Paris: there may be one on every block but this book separates wheat from chafe. It first appeared in France and now is accessible to U.S. audiences, selecting over fifty bistros which stand apart due to regional foods, wines, and atmospheres. Sure, you can visit French bistros without it - but why spend your trip on less than the best? AUTHENTIC BISTROS helps you define and find them.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



4. This is a GREAT book for the money. Lots of full color pictures so you really get a feel for each place, organized by arrondissement so you can find a bistro no matter what neighborhood you happen to be in, good write-ups, and small enough to take in your purse. And apart from the prices, the information about the places will probably be pretty timeless.



5. Another book about Paris bistros and cafés I read a few years ago claimed that you should be able to choose a café to make your own (and don't we all want to feel at home in a Paris café?) solely on the basis of what he had written in those pages. He didn't quite pull it off, I thought. I'd be a lot more comfortable settling into an "authentic bistro" in the City of Lights based on this book by Thomazeau and Ageorges. Their photos and descriptions of four-dozen or so bistros are wonderfully evocative.
   
   Which isn't to say they're perfect, however, as other reviewers here have attested. For one thing, the descriptions, tempting as they are, are still pretty superficial and the photos, while gorgeous, never show the bistros at the French equivalent of rush hour. While the copy does mention the nearest Metro station, there are no maps to place them in a larger context for readers not already familiar with Paris' arrondissements.
   
   All of which reminds us this is a book originally written in French, for the French. It's a great thing it was translated into English and I'm sure will make an American's trip to Paris even brighter and more memorable. For those of us stuck at home, its teasing overview leaves us wanting more (more descriptions, more recipes, more photos, more maps...) -- for which we'll need to turn to some other book.

5 comments about The Flaneur: A Stroll Through the Paradoxes of Paris.

1. This book is a meandering discussion of both the ideal of Paris and its geography. White has lived for over 15 years in Paris, and he provides an introduction of sorts to the city for Americans with an intellectual bent. The book can't really serve as a guide book or book with city walks, since there are no directions or street names, and certainly no itineraries. As White explains, a flaneur is someone who just wanders around, allowing himself to be drawn in the direction of anything of interest. Thus, White strolls with us through several Paris districts, commenting at length on artists or authors who lived there. Along the way, we find entire chapters on African Americans in Paris, gays in Paris, and Jews in Paris. The book assumes a certain familiarity with both the city itself and Parisian people. If you're a complete newcomer, you may find parts of the book somewhat confusing. But if you're an American who has spent at least several weeks in the city, you may find this book to be a delightful diversion.



2. Edmund White gives a very different "travel book" in FLANEUR: A STROLL THROUGH THE PARADOXES OF PARIS. If you don't delight in books that compare prices of hotels and restaurants or books in which the author traces the difficulty of restoring and furbishing a fabulous villa all while beguiling and amusing the locals then White's book will offer you a refreshing alternative.

   Sixteen-year resident, White, offers a view of Paris that is at once personal and historical. It is more accurately described as a memoir of Paris rather than a standard travel book. One feels as though a friend is offering a leisurely tour of the city showing you his favorite places and telling stories offering insight and historical tidbits not dragging you through a checklist as an impersonal tourist. The changes in neighborhoods and the histories he describes particularly those of expatriate Americans in Paris are all insightful. White's tone is erudite and conversational without being tedious or condescending. The term flaneur is key in the title. The pace of the book is strolling but always interesting. It seems to have no direction but the end result is both illuminating and satisfying. Most remarkably it offers an enjoyable read whether one is immediately traveling to Paris or armchair traveling or whether one is living in a villa in Europe or a small apartment in the States.




3. Of course this isn't really about cruising. If it were it would be awfully boring, and this book is anything but boring. Even so, there is nothing quite so pleasurable as a stroll down almost any street in the French capital. Edmund white, who lived there for a long time, offers a distillation of his experience in this delightful little book. Reading it is almost as good as being there. Second best. Whie writes elegantly and intelligently. The part I most enjoyed, and from which I learned most, is about the Camondo Museum and the tragedy of the family that built and owned it. After reading this book I went to visit it and it turned out to be all White says it is. Delightful. But the book contains other wonderful descriptions of people and places as well. Highly recommended.



4. I bought this book while holidaying in the Marais in the summer of 2005. I read it on my return to Sydney as a means of returning to the backstreets of Paris as I also remember it.
   
   If you've been to Paris much of this book will seem familiar. If you haven't, It's the closest you'll come to enjoying the pleasures of this most magnificent city.
   
   Much like Paris itself, this book is brilliant.



5. White, Edmund. "The Flaneur: A Stroll through the Paradoxes of Paris", Bloomsbury, 2007.
   
   A Different Look of Paris
   
   Amos Lassen
   
   Edmund White is a wonderful writer as he has proven many times and he gives us a great travel book in "The Flaneur". White gives us a look at Paris that is both personal and historical and is really more of a memoir than anything else. I felt as if White was my friend and taking me on a stroll around the city and showing me his favorite places and telling me stories of his own life there. He is erudite and conversational and never did I feel I was being given a tour of Paris. The fact that the book meanders without any direction is a plus as this makes it comfortable.
   The book is only 211 pages long and there is a great deal of information in it. White writes of the avant garde of the Left Bank which is just a fading memory and what a pity! White concentrates on the minorities of the city--the Arabs, the Jews, and the Blacks. It is an insider's guide and we learn of the idiosyncrasies, the flavor, the history and the charm of the City of Light. A flaneur is a rambler who wanders aimlessly through the back ways of the city just to observe and reflect and this is what we do with White. A flaneur comments on all that he sees and hears and knows about the areas of Paris that he chooses to comment on. White lived in Paris for 16 years so there is no doubt that he knows the city. White's distillation of his own years In Paris is what makes this book so interesting and fun.

No comments about The Rough Guide to Paris - 11th Edition.