1 comments about Andre Granet: Decors Ephemeres, Paris 1909-1948.

1. Please be aware that the book contains only black and white photos, NO COLOR photos or diagrams. As I was expecting to see color photos/diagrams, I was disappointed and thus downgraded the book to two stars. But some B/W photo enthusiasts may like the book, esp. for the historical context.

No comments about Cool Maps of France: Paris and Beyond.

No comments about An African in Paris.

5 comments about Knopf Guide: The Louvre (Knopf Guides).

1. A treasure trove of images and information making it almost redundant to go to the Louvre itself. Too bad there are not guides like this for the Musee D'Orsay and other museums of Paris. It seems that the guide should have been expanded to include the other museums since the Knopf city guide book gives the others so little space.



2. I received this book as a gift when I left to study abroad in Paris a few years ago. I went to Paris to study art and I found this book to be an excellent guide to this fantastic museum. It is so interesting and informative. And when you are done visiting the Louvre, you have an excellent souvenir!



3. As the Louvre is just so darn big, you need this book if for no other reason than to whittle down the museum to what interests you. New York City's Met. is big, but frankly, the whole Met. would be one half of one floor, of one wing, in the Louvre. Most Knopf guides are very detailed and thoughtfully written and this is no exception. Indispensible for your visit(s) to the Louvre.



4. Only half the book is actually devoted to the collection. The rest of the book is about the history of the Louvre and what's around the Louvre. The maps were so tiny they were about impossible to see, and in some sections were just absent. For instance, the Italian painting section, I could never find a map for and spent a long time wandering about trying to find specific paintings (Titian). Unforunately, there does not seem to be much of an alternative. The limited catalog that they sell there is probably a better option, or the section that most guide books have is probably adequate. The collection is so huge and this book so limited, it was hardly worth even bringing along.



5. A viable alternative with good reproductions and complete floor plans would be "The Louvre (Art & Architecture)" by Gabriele Bartz and Eberhard Konig, ISBN: 3829026471.

5 comments about Frommer's Paris 2004.

1. If you check the date the review is posted, it is in January, 2002. Since Frommer's Paris 2003 was published in September, 2002, the review was written 9 months before the book came out!

   As the editor of Frommer's Paris 2003, I'd like to point out that the book is revised and updated every year, and that the authors, Darwin Porter & Danforth Prince make a note of what's new, what's changed, what's closed down (either permanently or temporarily) and any tweaks and changes involved in traveling to and staying in Paris.

   This year's edition includes information on such new accommodations as the brand new Hotel Francois 1er, among others; and reviews new restaurants like La Maison Blanche, and Korova; they remind us that the Petit Palais is being renovated in 2003, and that Disney has added another section to its Paris theme park in "Walt Disney Studios."




2. I used this book for a recent trip to Paris and thought it was great. The hotels were spot on, the attractions info. was comprehensive, and I loved the fact that it gives me a "best of" in the beginning of the book. That's totally cool. Overall, I thought it was a great book.



3. I bought this book, and also Rick Steves guide to Paris. This is the book we consulted to get around on the Metro (what stops for what destination), and for places to eat in the various parts of town. The bad thing about this book is that it does not give detailed "touristy" information about the various spots. This books is more concerned about getting you there, making sure you a place to stay and places to eat! So you need a rudimentary guide to explain what you're seeing, when it was made, who made it, etc. Rick Steves has some of this. Basically, this book is excellent for logistics, but not for much else.



4. This book has comprehensive information. It offers more than some other books.

   I do wish this book weren't so dry and encyclopedic. I prefer the Fodor's Paris book because it gives more than a dry description. Fodor's gives a first-hand account of actually being in the restaurant/hotel/attraction. Fodor's also gives more information about where to find the best values, the most interesting experiences, and how to get the best service.

   This book is better than Rick Steve's guide, but not as good as Fodor's.




5. My husband and I just got back from a week in Paris yesterday. This was our only guide book. We travel frequently and usually purchase either the Fordor's or Frommer's guide. I chose this book because it has the "best of" in the front. Most beautiful restaurant etc... We did go to Defours (I am not sure of the spelling) which was listed as the most beautiful restaurant and indeed it was beautiful. Most of the meals we ate were guide recommendations and they were indeed good. However my main gripe with this book is that the descriptions were somewhat inaccurate and were incomplete. For example if I had 3 or 4 sentences to describe a store, restaurant etc... I think I most anyone could have done a better job. The purpose of the descriptions is so the reader can make an informed choice as to where to spend time and money. To guide the reader as to what atmosphere, food, etc he would most enjoy. I understand the descriptions must be brief however in the description I think the author focused on the wrong elements. For example there was a store inside the Pompodour that had cool gift items inspired or designe dby Phillipe Starke. My husband and I thought it was an average size store or even a Department Store in fact it was a very tiny Musuem gift shop. I think its called Prin Temps Design or something. The author stated it was only loosely associated with the Grand Department store. In the description the author should have stated the store was a very, very tiny gift shop - in fact the smallest Musuem gift shop I have ever been by far and I have been in many, many Musuem gift shops the world over. Some of the restaurants he described as "beautiful" were only charming. He recommended the Bar Crillion which we went to and it was a very, small hotel bar and empty. It was a Sunday night. Had the description described how small and intimate it was we would have made another choice.

   To find the restaurant "Caberet" we spent 45 minutes trying to find it but the map was inaccurate or just not clear. My husband and I are both highly educated professionals who use maps regurlarly with no problem and we could not find the restaurant from using the map in the guide. A few days later we saw that it was on a square. The description would have been clearer if it stated that the restaurant was on an open square. We probably would have been succesful in finding the resaurant and not wasted so much time. I could go on and on...

   As my husband and I spend quite a lot on air fare, meals, hotel and precious vacation time it is frustrating to waste time on inaccuracies or to "guess" at where your going to. We would have purchased a different guide book but it was difficult to find English guide books and when we found one we only had a few days left. In the future we have decided to purchase 2 guide books for week long expensive trips. That way if one is incomplete or inaccurate we can always use the other.

   I always buy a guide book when I travel and rely heavily on them to save me time and money and guide me to those experiences I would most enjoy. I have never been dissapointed in a guide book as a whole ...until now.

5 comments about Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Paris (2nd ed).

1. If you still believe that all French waiters are rude, that Parisians structure their lives around making unsuspecting Americans feel bad, and that being in France's commercial establishments means always being on your guard, then this is the book for you. Unevenly written (can't Frommer afford copy editors?) and sometimes downright silly, what this book nevertheless has going for it is an excellent and up-to-date list of restaurants, shops, bars, and hot spots (although look elsewhere for accommodations). That alone makes the book worth a look. The map of recommended establishments and the excellent bits of advice on how to take care of daily necessities make this book valuable, but it is unnecessarily smug, ultimately feeding into the same tired stereotypes of the French we've heard for years. As in any major city, no one in Paris much cares about insulting or dissing you, but this book would sometimes have you believe that it's the national pastime.



2. If you have bought other travel guides to Paris such as Frommer's or Fodor's, this "Irreverent Guide" will add nothing of value to your experience of Paris. It seems to me that the title is misleading and very gimmicky. Invest the ... + shipping in a good lunch for one. Or give it away to someone who needs it, or simply save it. This book is not worth it. I rate this book one star.



3. If being irreverent is stating that Parisian waiters can be rude, then I've missed the point of this book somewhere. Everbody KNOWS that Parisian waiters can be rude. Just be rude back!

   I can't help feeling that Alexander F. Lobrano (Heidi Ellison in the first edition) have just dug around to exaggerate the things they don't like, and played down (or even omitted) the good things. For example, in a section marked 'Secret Gardens', how can Parc Andre Citroen be considered secret and Jardins Albert Kahn completely missed? It makes a mockery of claiming to be a true guide. Much better (if you're French-speaking) to get yourself a copy of 'Paris inattendu' by Michel Dansel. You get the truth AND a lot of fresh information.




4. I bought the Irreverent Guide to London when I traveled to Britain two years ago, and I had such a good experience with that book that I bought this one for my upcoming trip to Paris. I have also read Fodor's and have done extensive research online, but I like the irreverent book because it's small, informative, and opinionated. I don't need another sixty pages listing the museums in France. What I need is for someone knowledgable to tell me which museums are worth the time and which ones aren't



5. This guide is so poorly done that I wasted valuable time and missed out on some wonderful experiences while on a short vacation to Paris. All the writer needed to do to make things easy was to include the arrondissement or section of the city when recommending a destination. I spend too much time scanning the maps, looking for the subway stop provided. Do not waste your money on this book.

1 comments about 360 Degrees Paris.

1. For 85% this book is breathtaking and fascinating. No doubt, it's a new look on usual things in Paris. Paris is my most favorite city in the world and I collect photo albums about it for a long time, thus I can assure you that it will be a good deal to buy it. Its weaknesses: there are usual things (though from unusual point of view, 15% of the book is devoted to some interiors of shops and bars(do you want to pay for product placement?, the disk is attached to this book, which includes some digital panoramas, included in the book (however, my Quick Time Player did not manage to find some files (most interesting I should admit) though it seems they are there).

No comments about Time Out Shortlist Paris: 2007 (Time Out Shortlist).

No comments about The Misadventures of Oliver Booth: Life in the Lap of Luxury.

No comments about Insight Compact Guide Paris (Insight Compact Guides Paris).