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PARIS & NORMANDY COAST
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Adventures on the Wine Route, A Wine Buyer's Tour of France • Kermit Lynch BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1990 • PAPER • 271 PAGES A delightful and warmly anecdotal book, highly recommended for anyone touring the wine regions of France. The book brings the domains and appellations of French wine to full-blown life, and Lynch's portraits of the grand personalities who make the wine are priceless. (FRN72, $19.00)
The Age of the Cathedrals, Art and Society 980-1420 • Georges Duby HISTORY • 1983 • PAPER • 320 PAGES The definitive historical study of the building of the great cathedrals. French scholar Duby, writing very accessibly, describes the cathedrals themselves, and the philosophical, religious, and political climate that enabled them to be built. (EUR01, $28.00)
Angers Laval Map • IGN 2004 • MAP A detailed, topographic map showing the Loire Valley from Angiers to Laval at a scale of 1:100,000. One Side. 38x52 inches. (FRN485, $11.95)
Art and Architecture in France, 1500-1700 • Richard Beresford • Anthony Blunt ART & ARCHITECTURE • 1999 • PAPER • 304 PAGES A depiction of artistic endeavors that were born in 16th- and 17th-century France. This book portrays architecture of the chateaux of the Loire Valley, Versailles, paintings by Poussin and Claude, as well as the sculpture of Coysevox. Organized chronologically, it provides an overview of the principle works of the period, as well as their creators. (FRN242, $40.00)
Art and Illusion • E. H. Gombrich ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2000 • PAPER • 512 PAGES A classic study on the ever-evolving relationship between perception and art. (ART15, $39.95)
Art and Society in the Middle Ages • Georges Duby ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2000 • PAPER • 128 PAGES A study of the relationship between the production of art and the nature of Medieval society. Noted French historian Georges Duby draws on religion, culture, government, geography, and, of course, artistic pursuits in this portrait of the Middle ages. (EUR85, $30.55)
Artists in Residence • Dana Micucci ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2001 • PAPER • 143 PAGES This attractively illustrated guide features an overview of each French artist's home or studio in or around Paris, travel information, and a good selection of color photographs and reproductions of paintings. The author, a journalist and photographer specializing in the arts, includes among others Monet's famous cottage at Giverny, Van Gogh at home in Auvers, Courbet's 18th-century townhouse in Ornans, and Delacroix's Parisian studio. An excellent guide for day-long excursions outside Paris with a focus on nature and art. (FRN353, $19.95)
At Home in France • Ann Barry TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 1997 • PAPER • 247 PAGES Subtitled "Tales of an American and Her House Abroad," this account of life in a small village in southwestern France is shot through with Barry's irony and New York outlook on life. A part-time visitor -- and no homebody despite the title -- she includes her excursions to Rocamadour, Brittany, Provence and other regions in search of fun and food. Barry was a travel editor at the "New Yorker" and "New York Times." (FRN215, $19.00)
The Autumn of the Middle Ages • Johan Huizinga HISTORY • 1997 • PAPER • 467 PAGES A pioneering work of social and cultural history, this classic volume is a richly detailed portrait of life, thought and art in 14th- and 15th-century France and the Netherlands. You may have read this book in your college history class, but this graceful new translation is well worth a re-visit before journeying to these regions. With 45 illustrations complementing Huizinga's focus on the art and architecture. (EUR17, $30.00)
Birds of Europe • Lars Svensson FIELD GUIDE • 2010 • PAPER • 416 PAGES • FAVORITE This Princeton Field Guide features 3,500 illustrations by Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterstrom. Color plates depict every species -- and sometimes several different variants -- for 722 birds found from the Urals to the Atlantic, Scandinavia to the Middle East. (FG47, $29.95)
Blue Guide Burgundy • Ian Ousby GUIDEBOOK • 1992 • PAPER • 191 PAGES Invaluable for its many site plans and town maps, this compact guide focuses on the art and architecture of the region. With a good general overview and suggested routes. (FRN76, $19.95)
Boundaries, The Making of France and Spain in the Pyrenees • Peter Sahlins HISTORY • 1991 • PAPER • 351 PAGES A learned, provocative study of the frontier of France and Spain -- and the struggles between national and cultural identities in the Pyrennes. It's a scholarly work focused on Cerdanya, but also an authoritative and informative overview of what happened when Catalon was arbitrarily split between France and Spain in 1659. (SPN154, $29.95)
Bourgogne Map • IGN 2007 • MAP A map of Burgundy at a scale of 1:250,000. Two Sides. 39x47 inches. (FRN262, $11.95)
Carmen and Other Stories • Prosper Merimee • Nicholas Jotcham LITERATURE • 1999 • PAPER • 361 PAGES A sophisticated Parisian, Merimee preferred tales of high drama, banditry, outlaws and outcasts set in exotic locales, preferably in the past. This collection of nine stories includes: Carmen, the source for the opera; Columba, set in Corsica; the Etruscan Vase, one of his Parisian tales; The Storming of the Redoubt, involving Napoleon's 1812 Russian campaign; and Lokis, set in the forests of Medieval Lithuania. (FRN201, $13.95)
The Catalans • Patrick O'Brian LITERATURE • 2005 • PAPER • 224 PAGES The novelist Grgory Feeley wrote in the Washington Post about this early novel: "The story of Dr. Alain Roig, who returns to his Catalan home town after years of medical research in the Far East to intercede in an imminent family scandal, is drolly observed, beautiful in its evocation of place, and -- like O'Brian's later novels -- often mordantly funny. " (FRN511, $14.95)
The Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade • Michael Costen HISTORY • 1997 • PAPER • 256 PAGES • COMING IN A history of the war against the Cathar heretics of Languedoc in the 12th and 13th centuries, including an in-depth profile of the region's social and political situation at the time. (FRN278, $30.00)
Cathedrals and Castles, The Cathedral Builders of the Middle Ages • Alain Erlande-Brandenburg ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2010 • PAPER • 175 PAGES This pocket-size encyclopedia of the art, architecture and culture of the Middle Ages features hundreds of drawings, color illustrations and a brief chronology. Take it along to gain a better appreciation of the Middle Ages and its legacy in Europe. (MED07, $15.95)
Chagall, The Art of Dreams • Daniel Marchesseau ART & ARCHITECTURE • 1998 • PAPER • 176 PAGES As a Russian Jew in Paris, Marc Chagall developed a hybrid painting style, part French modernism, part Cubism, part Surrealism, and infused with the traditions of his religious upbringing. A volume in the "Discoveries" series, this is a slim introduction to the man and his work, richly illustrated throughout with color reproductions. (FRN268, $12.95)
Chantemesle, A Normandy Childhood • Robin Fedden BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2002 • PAPER • 100 PAGES Fedden (1908-1977) evokes the landscape, history and culture of Normandy in this lyrical account of an enchanted childhood on the banks of the Seine, originally published in 1964. Fedden (who was later a distinguished professor and colleague of Lawrence Durrell and other heavy hitters) looks back on his youth in rural France with a startling intensity. (FRN396, $20.95)
Citizen Soldiers • Stephen Ambrose HISTORY • 1998 • PAPER • 528 PAGES Told through the perspectives of Allied soldiers on the front lines, this is Ambrose's account of the battles fought in the year between D-Day and the German surrender. Visceral and well researched, it's subtitled "The U.S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany, June 7, 1944 to May 7, 1945." (WAR19, $18.00)
Citizens, A Chronicle of the French Revolution • Simon Schama HISTORY • 1990 • PAPER • 948 PAGES A detailed account of the French Revolution from the eminent historian Simon Schama. With penetrating insight, this impressive work chronicles the events, the rhetoric and the personalities of this turbulent period in French history. Recognized as one of the best books of the decade by Time magazine. (FRN115, $32.00)
Clara's Grand Tour, Travels With a Rhinoceros in Eighteenth-century Europe • Glynis Ridley HISTORY • 2006 • PAPER • 240 PAGES The entertaining history of a most unusual eighteenth-century European celebrity. Clara the Indian rhinoceros was brought to Europe in 1741 by the Dutch sea captain Douwemout Van der Meer, and toured for seventeen years, to the delight of heads of state such as Louis XV and Frederick the Great. A marvelous and unique look at the introduction of Eastern wildlife into the Western world. (FRN536, $12.00)
Claude Monet • William Seitz ART & ARCHITECTURE • 1983 • HARD COVER • 128 PAGES A short survey of Monet's greatest works, with analysis of individual paintings and 48 color plates. (FRN249, $24.95)
Claude Monet, The Color of Time • Virginia Spate ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2001 • PAPER • 384 PAGES A critically lauded analysis of Monet and his art. Professor Virginia Spate provides in-depth interpretations of individual works, taking into account technique, the evolution of themes and styles, historical and biographical information, exhibition, reception, and letters written by Monet, himself. What results is an impeccably researched, convincing and beautifully illustrated overview of a much more complex artist than previously thought. (FRN311, $39.95)
Claudine's House • Colette • Doris Lessing LITERATURE • 2006 • PAPER • 166 PAGES A marvelous new translation of Colette's warm, sensual account of growing up under her mother's watchful care in the south of France. Written 20 years after her wildly popular Claudine novels. (FRN570, $15.95)
The Complete Claudine • Colette LITERATURE • 2001 • PAPER • 560 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS A collection of four short novels about coming of age as a woman in turn-of-the-century France. Colette beautifully evokes period and place in this vivid portrait of Victorian Paris. The first novel, Claudine at School, launched the series -- and Colette's writing career. The story continues with Claudine in Paris, Claudine Married, and Claudine and Annie. (FRN125, $21.00)
The Complete Jewish Guide to France • Toni Kamins GUIDEBOOK • 2001 • PAPER • 238 PAGES A well research compact travel guide with a short overview of Jewish history and plenty of practical travel information on where to go and what to do. Organized geographically, the book includes synagogues, cemeteries, museums and other sites of Jewish interest (FRN349, $19.99)
The Complete Letters of Vincent Van Gogh • Vincent Van Gogh BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2000 • HARD COVER • 1864 PAGES A handsome three volume set containing all the available letters written by Vincent Van Gogh. Mostly addressed to his brother Theo, these are an illuminating glimpse into the life of an artist and a heart-breaking account of mental illness. A replica of the set published in the 1950s by the New York Graphic Society, this is the most comprehensive collection available, illustrated with reproductions of all the original drawings that appeared in the letters. It is a "must-have" for all Van Gogh enthusiasts. (NTH35, $100.00)
A Concise History of France • Roger Price HISTORY • 1993 • PAPER • 380 PAGES A compact survey of French history, events and personalities from medieval times to the early 1990s in the series by Cambridge University Press. (FRN269, $25.99)
The Count of Monte Cristo • Alexandre Dumas • David Coward LITERATURE • 2009 • HARD COVER • 1168 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS The Everyman's Library edition of Alexandre Dumas's epic novel of justice, retribution, and self-discovery in a newly revised translation. This beloved novel tells the story of Edmond Dantes, wrongfully imprisoned for life in the supposedly impregnable sea fortress, the Ch�teau d'If. After a daring escape, and after unearthing a hidden treasure revealed to him by a fellow prisoner, he devotes the rest of his life to tracking down and punishing the enemies who wronged him. Though a brilliant storyteller, Dumas was given to repetitions and redundancies; this slightly streamlined version of the original 1846 English translation speeds the narrative flow while retaining most of the rich pictorial descriptions and all the essential details of Dumas's intricately plotted and thrilling masterpiece. (FRN122, $25.95)
The Debacle • Emile Zola LITERATURE • 1973 • PAPER • 509 PAGES Part of the "Penguin Classics" series, this is Zola's novel of the Franco-Prussian War and the Commune, as seen through the stories of common soldiers. Strong on historical detail, it remains one of the most famous and powerful pieces on these devastating conflicts. (FRN251, $16.00)
Debussy and His World • Jane F. Fulcher MUSIC • 2001 • PAPER • 350 PAGES Twelve scholarly essays on Debussy and fin-de-siecle Paris in the Bard Music Festival Series published by Princeton University Press. With contributions by Leon Botstein, Christophe Charle, John Clevenger, Jane F. Fulcher, David Grayson, Brian Hart, Gail Hilson-Woldu and Marie Rolf. (FRN518, $31.95)
An Englishman A La Campagne, Life in Deepest France • Michael Sadler TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2005 • PAPER • 182 PAGES A humourous, quirky narrative of Englishman Michael Sadler making do in rural France, filled with anecdotes that convey the charm of the French countryside and the unavoidable mishaps that accompany Sandler's immersion in local life. (FRN569, $12.95)
The Enormous Room • George James Firmage • E. E. Cummings LITERATURE • 1999 • PAPER • 278 PAGES A fictional account of the poet's four-month confinement in France during World War I. A volunteer with a Red Cross ambulance unit on the western front, Cummings and a friend were (falsely) imprisoned in a French camp at La Ferte-Mace in Normandy for bad behavior. His witty and absorbing account of the experience is also the first of his many published challenges to authority. First published in 1922, this Liveright edition of the original manuscript edited George James Firmage, includes Cumming's drawings and material excised from the first edition. (WAR33, $14.95)
Eyewitness Guide Brittany • Eyewitness Guides GUIDEBOOK • 2011 • PAPER • 288 PAGES Gorgeous, well illustrated and filled with excellent maps, this compact book is a thorough overview of Brittany, its history, traditions, cultures and sights. With hundreds of color photographs and illustrations. (FRN401, $25.00)
Eyewitness Guide Paris • Eyewitness Guides GUIDEBOOK • 2012 • PAPER • 448 PAGES Gorgeous, well illustrated and filled with excellent maps, this compact book is a thorough overview of the City of Light, its history, traditions, cultures and sights. Featuring well chosen literary excerpts and a detailed synopsis of the city's attractions. (FRN02, $25.00)
Eyewitness Phrase Book, French • Eyewitness Guides LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS • 2003 • PAPER • 144 PAGES A pocket phrasebook and mini-dictionary to getting around in French, mai oui. Organized thematically (FRN263, $8.00)
Floating Through France, Life Between Locks on the Canal Du Midi • Barb Euser TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2006 • PAPER • 200 PAGES A lovely collection, evoking the dreamy French countryside along the banks of the Canal du Midi, Europe's oldest functioning canal. The essays and poems are the reflections of a group of writers who slipped along the canal together in two old boats in the summer of 2005. (FRN572, $14.95)
Fodor's France • Fodor's GUIDEBOOK • 2011 • PAPER • 896 PAGES An excellent all-around guidebook to the history, culture and attractions of France. (FRN180, $24.99)
France and the French, A Modern History • Rod Kedward CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 2007 • PAPER • 736 PAGES A sweeping, in-depth history of France from 1900 to the present day, from the disasterous world wars to the crumbling of the empire to France's modern place in the European Union. (FRN573, $24.95)
France Centre Map 518 • Michelin Travel Publications MAP A colorful map of central France, including the Loire valley, Tours, Orleans and Bourges, at a scale of 1:200,000. Two Sides. 39x52 inches. (FRN241, $11.95)
France in Mind • Alice Powers ANTHOLOGY • 2003 • PAPER • 352 PAGES • COMING IN JUNE This wonderful selection of essays, excerpts and stories filters the experience of being in France through the lens of 33 British and American writers. (FRN384, $14.00)
France on the Brink, A Great Civilization Faces the New Century • Jonathan Fenby CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 1999 • PAPER • 449 PAGES • COMING IN A timely cultural portrait by a British journalist, Francophile and, since 1995, editor of Hong Kong's South China Morning Post. It's a lively account, interweaving current events, travel, commentary history and culture. A practiced journalist with a 40-year history in France, Fenby is a terrific guide to the Gallic character. Apart from his obvious wit and love of life, Fenby's addiitonal credentials include a French wife -- and a French Order of Merit. (FRN175, $16.95)
French English Bilingual Visual Dictionary • DK Publishing LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS • 2005 • PAPER • 360 PAGES With thousands of neatly arranged color photographs, this compact book is impressively comprehensive, covering everything from the basics of le corps (body) to the vocabulary of la buanderie (utility room). With a handy reference section in the back. (FRN520, $14.95)
French Gastronomy • Jean-Robert Pitte • Jody Gladding FOOD • 2002 • HARD COVER • 176 PAGES In this illuminating short book, Jean-Robert Pitte, ardent gastronome and proud French citizen, attributes his country's culinary prowess to its diverse and fertile geography -- and its fussy absolutist monarchs. (FRN346, $35.00)
French in 10 Minutes a Day with CD-Rom • Kristine K. Kershul LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS • 2007 • PAPER • 138 PAGES A workbook for the beginner. It's reminiscent of early language primers for elementary school children and an excellent way to master basic conversational French. With 150 sticky labels for common objects, flashcards, and a take-along laminated pocket pal with essential vocabulary. A good supplement to classes or a language program on tape. (FRN260, $26.95)
French Provincial Cooking • Elizabeth David • Julia Child FOOD • 1999 • PAPER • 524 PAGES More than just a cookbook, David's classic, originally published in the 1960s and hugely influential, includes a long introduction on the origins of food traditions in France, and much historical information, commentary and regional geography throughout. (FRN174, $18.00)
The Gothic Cathedral • Christopher Wilson ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2005 • PAPER • 304 PAGES An illustrated overview of gothic cathedrals, their history, design and construction, covering the masterpieces built from the 12th to the 16th century. With photographs and diagrams. (EUR80, $34.95)
The Gothic Enterprise, A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral • Robert A. Scott ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2005 • PAPER • 294 PAGES Scott, whose interest in the history of cathedrals began when he first saw the magnificent Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Salisbury, England, takes his reader on a historical, architectural and sociological tour of the magnificent spires and stained-glass windows that dot the landscape of Europe. It's an accessible, personable overview. (EUR190, $21.95)
The Gothic Enterprise, A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral • Robert A. Scott ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2005 • PAPER • 294 PAGES Scott, whose interest in the history of cathedrals began when he first saw the magnificent Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Salisbury, England, takes his reader on a historical, architectural and sociological tour of the magnificent spires and stained-glass windows that dot the landscape of Europe. It's an accessible, personable overview. (EUR190, $21.95)
Gustave Courbet • Sarah Faunce ART & ARCHITECTURE • 1993 • HARD COVER • 128 PAGES A wonderfully illustrated study of Gustave Courbet, the 19th century French realist painter. Nearly 100 plates of his paintings (40 in color) are accompanied by commentary from Sarah Faunce. This book is a good introduction to his work and his influence on the great French Impressionists. (FRN155, $24.95)
Haute Cuisine, How the French Invented the Culinary Profession • Amy B. Trubek FOOD • 2001 • PAPER • 200 PAGES Written by an anthropologist who teaches at the New England Culinary Institute, this scholarly study probes the origins and evolution of French cuisine and its influence on modern menus throughout the world. (FRN320, $19.95)
Henri Matisse 1869-1954, Master of Color • Volkmar Essers ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2000 • PAPER • 96 PAGES This slim book, an entry in Taschen's popular Basic Art series, features 300 color reproductions of Matisse's work along with brief accompanying text. (ART45, $9.99)
Here Is Where We Meet • John Berger LITERATURE • 2006 • PAPER • 256 PAGES This novel weaves a portrait of several European countries through encounters with the dead, from the narrator's mother, whom he discovers on a park bench in Lisbon, to a childhood friend wandering a market in Krakow. "The dead don't stay where they are buried," the protagonist's mother tells him, and this becomes the mantra for this most unusual journey through Europe's history and people. (EUR189, $15.00)
Here Is Where We Meet • John Berger LITERATURE • 2006 • PAPER • 256 PAGES This novel weaves a portrait of several European countries through encounters with the dead, from the narrator's mother, whom he discovers on a park bench in Lisbon, to a childhood friend wandering a market in Krakow. "The dead don't stay where they are buried," the protagonist's mother tells him, and this becomes the mantra for this most unusual journey through Europe's history and people. (EUR189, $15.00)
Horse of Pride, Life in a Breton Village • Pierre-Jakez Helias • June Guicharnaud LITERATURE • 1980 • PAPER • 368 PAGES A richly detailed book about Breton lives, culture and folklore looking back to 1908 to 1939. Not exactly a memoir nor anthropology, Helias's autobiographical stories of peasant life have qualities of both. Most distinctively, the book evokes ways of life among the peasants of Brittany long since disappeared in rich, earthy detail. With black-and-white photographs. Claude Chabrol made a film of the book (a bestseller in France), his 32nd. (FRN344, $37.00)
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame • Victor Hugo LITERATURE • 2010 • PAPER • 510 PAGES • FAMILY Evocative of medieval France, this is the compelling story of the deformed bell-ringer Quasimodo, the gypsy Esmeralda and their struggles with Dom Frollo, the cruel, lusty archdeacon. (FRN124, $5.95)
The Hundred Years War: The English in France, 1337-1453 • Desmond Seward HISTORY • 1999 • PAPER • 304 PAGES An engrossing portrait of the battles, personalities and society of Medieval England and France. A popular historian, this is but one of Seward's many books on Medieval Europe, dramatically told in vivid detail. (FRN329, $17.00)
An Illustrated History of the First World War • John Keegan HISTORY • 2001 • HARD COVER • 448 PAGES • COMING IN An illustrated edition of Keegan's outstanding history of the Great War, considerably enhanced by his selection of almost 500 photographs, maps, drawings and illustrations. The visuals clarify and augment his wide-ranging narrative of the origins, battles and consequences of WWI. (WAR16, $50.00)
Impressionism • James Henry Rubin ART & ARCHITECTURE • 1999 • PAPER • 446 PAGES An excellent illustrated survey of Impressionism in the "Art and Ideas" series. (FRN223, $29.95)
Impressionism • Belinda Thomson ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2000 • PAPER • 272 PAGES A readable account of the French Impressionist movement and its most notable artists, illustrated with color reproductions. Part of the "World of Art" series, this book's thoughtful analyses of individual works are illuminated by solid historical and cultural background. (FRN310, $16.95)
Impressionism, Art, Leisure, and Parisian Society • Robert L. Herbert ART & ARCHITECTURE • 1991 • PAPER • 324 PAGES A magnificently illustrated social history, this book shows the cafes, opera houses, dance halls and other places of entertainment and leisure that inspired some of the great Impressionist paintings. He brings mid 19th-century Paris to life with his insightful analysis and in 240 well chosen color illustrations. Scholarly and well written. (FRN117, $35.00)
Indre et Loire Map • Michelin Travel Publications MAP • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE Map of Indre et Loire at a scale of 1:150,000. One Side. 35x44 inches. (FRN367, $9.95)
Journey Through the Ice Age • Paul Bahn • Jean Vertut ART & ARCHITECTURE • 1997 • PAPER • 240 PAGES • COMING IN Illustrated with extraordinary color photographs by Jean Vertut, this authoritative book is an excellent summary of Paleolithic art -- and particularly cave paintings -- throughout Europe. (EUR07, $27.50)
Karen Brown's France, Exceptional Places to Stay & Itineraries • Karen Brown GUIDEBOOK • 2010 • PAPER • 395 PAGES A survey of inns, castles and other lodging of character, along with suggested itineraries and highlights of each region. (FRN275, $19.95)
Le Divorce • Diane Johnson LITERATURE • 1998 • PAPER • 309 PAGES In the grand tradition of An American Abroad, this wise novel follows the attempts of Isabel, a young Californian in Paris, to rescue her step sister from a bad marriage. Full of plot twists and wonderfully written, this book is also a study of French and American convention. It's almost guaranteed to start you dreaming of Paris. (FRN56, $15.00)
Leonardo da Vinci, The Mind of the Renaissance • Alessandro Vezzosi BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1997 • PAPER • 160 PAGES A pocket-size encyclopedia, this colorful book illustrates and documents the life and work of Leonardo, including a long section of excerpts from his writings. (ITL77, $12.95)
Les Miserables • Victor Hugo • Norman McAfee • Lee Fahnestock LITERATURE • 1987 • PAPER • 1463 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS The classic tale of redemption set against the backdrop of the French Revolution. (FRN123, $7.95)
Life With Picasso • Francoise Gilot BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1989 • PAPER • 352 PAGES This intimate memoir is as much about Picasso's art as it is about Gilot's experiences with Picasso as a lover and companion. She met Picasso in Paris in 1943, during the German occupation of France, when she was 21 and he was 62. For ten years, she lived with the artist, gave birth to two of his children, and served as his model. She recounts their life together with careful attention to detail, combining memoir, art history and romance. (ART42, $16.00)
Life With Picasso • Francoise Gilot BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1989 • PAPER • 352 PAGES This intimate memoir is as much about Picasso's art as it is about Gilot's experiences with Picasso as a lover and companion. She met Picasso in Paris in 1943, during the German occupation of France, when she was 21 and he was 62. For ten years, she lived with the artist, gave birth to two of his children, and served as his model. She recounts their life together with careful attention to detail, combining memoir, art history and romance. (ART42, $16.00)
Loire Valley Map 517 • Michelin Travel Publications MAP A map of the Loire region of France in the series published by Michelin series, at a scale of 1:200,000. One Side. 40 X 61 inches. (FRN302, $12.95)
Lonely Planet Cycling France • Lonely Planet GUIDEBOOK • 2009 • PAPER • 480 PAGES Here's a practical, cycle-themed guide to France, offering the usual Lonely Planet detail on where to stay and eat -- plus the best bike routes and an overview of the Tour de France. (FRN356, $24.99)
Lonely Planet French Phrasebook • Marie-Helene Girard • Anny Monet LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS • 2012 • PAPER • 272 PAGES This handy phrasebook focuses on pronunciation, basic grammar and essential vocabulary for the traveler. (FRN120, $8.99)
Long Ago in France, The Years in Dijon • M.F.K. Fisher FOOD • 1992 • PAPER • 159 PAGES A memoir of Fisher's years in France in the late '20s and early '30s, a time of exuberant discoveries of the glories of French food and French culture. (FRN21, $13.95)
Louise De La Valliere • Alexandre Dumas • David Coward LITERATURE • 1998 • PAPER • 768 PAGES The middle book in the Musketeer's trilogy of love and adventure, set in the regin of Louis XIV (and based on actual historical events). The story, which begins with The Vicomte de Bragelonne, or, Ten Years After, ends with his well known The Man in the Iron Mask. An Oxford World Classic. (FRN332, $16.95)
The Louvre • Charles Boyer ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2005 • DVD A documentary in the award-winning Jarvis Collection by the legendary NBC producer. (FRN666, $19.95)
Making of the Middle Ages • Richard W. Southern HISTORY • 1953 • PAPER A classic history of 10th to 13th century Europe, covering culture, politics and major personalites. (EUR105, $21.00)
Mammals of Europe • Priscilla Barrett • David W. MacDonald FIELD GUIDE • 2002 • PAPER • 320 PAGES Published by Princeton, this is a field guide to land and marine mammals throughout Europe, both endemic and introduced. With more than 600 color illustrations of over 200 mammals, it's a comprehensive handbook, with detailed descriptions, range maps and commentary on behavior. (FG61, $38.50)
Mary Cassatt, Painter of Modern Women • Griselda Pollock ART & ARCHITECTURE • 1998 • PAPER • 224 PAGES This fully illustrated monograph in the "World of Art" series traces the life, art and influence of Cassatt, the American painter who became a "French" impressionist. The author, a renowned art critic and feminist, teaches at the University of Leeds. (FRN303, $19.95)
The Measure of Her Powers, An M.F.K. Fisher Reader • M. F. K. Fisher FOOD • 2010 • PAPER • 432 PAGES A fat, judicious selection of M.F.K. Fisher's writings, which spanned a lifetime and chronicled adventures (culinary and otherwise) in France, Switzerland and Italy, on shipboard and in her native California. A supremely wise woman and an unsurpassed prose stylist, M.F.K. is here represented in all her witty, sad and celebratory incarnations. Edited with minimal interference by Dominique Gioia, this volume also includes a brief introductory memoir of Fisher by her acolyte Ruth Reichl, who once went on a pilgrimage to Fisher's Sonoma cottage -- only to find that Fisher herself cooked simply, not extravagantly at all. (CUL01, $21.95)
Medieval Art • Marilyn Stokstad ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2004 • PAPER • 446 PAGES Filled with hundreds of illustrations, this comprehensive survey of medieval art throughout Europe describes the social and cultural significance of many of the works of the period. (EUR91, $69.00)
Michelin Green Guide France • Michelin Travel Publications GUIDEBOOK • 2010 • PAPER • 528 PAGES A compact guide to France, featuring dozens of excellent full-color regional and town maps. Organized alphabetically, villages and attractions are rated and described. A good overall guide to the sites, and an invaluable resource for anyone planning an independent journey. (FRN252, $21.99)
Michelin Red Guide France • Michelin Travel Publications GUIDEBOOK • 2011 • HARD COVER • 2075 PAGES The 102-year-old bible to dining and lodging in France, revised annually, is now published, for the first time, in English. With city maps, telephone numbers, addresses, and a complex series of categories. In French. A new edition is published each spring -- we'll send you the latest available. (FRN253, $29.99)
Michelin Red Guide France • Michelin Travel Publications GUIDEBOOK • 2011 • HARD COVER • 2075 PAGES The 102-year-old bible to dining and lodging in France, revised annually, is now published, for the first time, in English. With city maps, telephone numbers, addresses, and a complex series of categories. In French. A new edition is published each spring -- we'll send you the latest available. (FRN253, $29.99)
Modern Art, Impressionism to Post-Modernism • David Britt ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2008 • PAPER • 416 PAGES An excellent visual survey of the course of modern art, opening with Impressionism and continuing through to Post-Modernism. The text takes in every major artistic movement of the last 150 years, while the 400-plus color illustrations include masterpieces in all media. (ART09, $29.95)
My Father's Glory • Yves Robert LITERATURE • 1991 • DVD The screen adaptation of the memoir of much-loved filmaker and playwright Marcel Pagnol (1895-1974). The film presents a rich portrait of the Provencal landscape; the bulk of the action takes place in sunny lavender fields, when the protagonist and his Parisian family leave the fast pace of the city for the relaxed country life. In French with subtitles. (FRN451, $19.98)
My Father's Glory • Yves Robert LITERATURE • 1991 • DVD The screen adaptation of the memoir of much-loved filmaker and playwright Marcel Pagnol (1895-1974). The film presents a rich portrait of the Provencal landscape; the bulk of the action takes place in sunny lavender fields, when the protagonist and his Parisian family leave the fast pace of the city for the relaxed country life. In French with subtitles. (FRN451, $19.98)
Mythologies • Roland Barthes CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 1989 • PAPER • 159 PAGES Reflections on the Parisian character. Each of the brief essays tackle some aspect of the culture, character or way of life of the French as filtered through the lens of the intellectual, literary-minded Barthes. A classic, originally published in 1957. (FRN233, $14.00)
Napoleon • Paul Johnson BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2006 • PAPER • 208 PAGES Short, enlightening and opinionated, this "Penguin Life" is Paul Johnson's take on Napoleon Bonaparte -- to whose power grab he traces the roots of 20th-century totalitarianism. It chronicles the major events of the emperor's life from his birth on Corsica to his death on St. Helena. (FRN348, $14.00)
Napoleon Bonaparte • Alan Schom BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1998 • PAPER • 888 PAGES This extremely unflattering biography of Napoleon may upset admirers of the French ruler, but there is no denying author Alan Schom's enthusiasm for the subject. Going so far as to say Napoleon may not have even been much a military leader, Schom challenges some common notions of the Bonaparte legend, while giving well researched accounts of some of the most famous battles. (FRN149, $24.99)
National Geographic France • Rosemary Bailey GUIDEBOOK • 2011 • PAPER • 400 PAGES An abundantly illustrated guide to the country, with essays on history and culture and limited practical travel information. (FRN322, $27.95)
National Geographic Provence & Cote D'Azur • Barbara Noe GUIDEBOOK • 2008 • PAPER • 240 PAGES A practical guide to Provence and the Cote d'Azur in the visually attractive National Geographic style, complete with photographs, illustrations, maps, and information about culture, nature and history. (FRN512, $21.95)
Normandy Map 513 • Michelin MAP A colorful, detailed map of Normandy at a scale of 1:200,000, featuring Rouen, Le Havre and the route of the Seine from west of Paris to the Atlantic. Two Sides. 40x61 inches. (FRN49, $11.95)
Normandy Map 513 • Michelin MAP A colorful, detailed map of Normandy at a scale of 1:200,000, featuring Rouen, Le Havre and the route of the Seine from west of Paris to the Atlantic. Two Sides. 40x61 inches. (FRN49, $11.95)
Normandy Map 513 • Michelin MAP A colorful, detailed map of Normandy at a scale of 1:200,000, featuring Rouen, Le Havre and the route of the Seine from west of Paris to the Atlantic. Two Sides. 40x61 inches. (FRN49, $11.95)
The Normans • Trevor Rowley HISTORY • 2004 • PAPER • 272 PAGES An archaeological perspective on the Normans with a good, illustrated chapter on Norman castles. (EUR176, $27.50)
Overlord, D-Day and the Battle for Normandy • Max Hastings HISTORY • 1985 • PAPER • 368 PAGES A readable and well researched account of "Operation Overlord," the name given to the Allied Invasion of Europe. (WAR20, $16.95)
Pegasus Bridge • Stephen Ambrose HISTORY • 1988 • PAPER • 400 PAGES Another celebrated history of World War II from the prolific Stephen Ambrose. Detailed and engrossing, this volume tells of the British airborne troops whose attack on German defense forces on June 6, 1944, opened the door for the Allied invasion of Normandy. (WAR18, $14.00)
Pere Goriot • Burt Raffel • Honore de Balzac LITERATURE • 1962 • PAPER • 370 PAGES Balzac's penetrating examination of the Parisian world -- its society, ambitions and hypocrisies-- is still one of most compelling. (FRN365, $17.50)
Perfume, The Story of a Murderer • Patrick Suskind LITERATURE • 2001 • PAPER • 255 PAGES The chilling tale of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, a monster in pursuit of the prefect perfume, rich in the earthy details of 18th-century Paris. The movie is due out in Fall 2006 and stars Ben Winshaw, Dustin Hoffman, and Alan Rickman. (FRN69, $15.00)
Pimsleur Quick & Simple French • Pimsleur Language Method LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS • 2005 • AUDIO CD Four audio CDs with eight 30-minute lessons in basic French, covering elementary vocabulary and phrases used in travel and everyday situations. The Pimsleur method emphasizes the use of listening skills without reading materials (so there isn't a book to follow along). It's advertised as "Totally audio: hear it, learn it, speak it." (FRN523, $19.95)
Possession, A Romance • A.S. Byatt LITERATURE • 1991 • PAPER • 576 PAGES Byatt's jam-packed novel is a master class in literary forms. For it, she wrote all of the following and then some: Victorian verse, Breton fairy tales, literary biography, lesbian criticism, love letters and 19th-century diary entries, not to mention the novel itself. We recommend it for readers generally, but most particularly for travelers to the Breton Coast, who will find some wonderfully evocative prose (and those fairy tales!). (FRN355, $16.00)
Remember D-Day, Both Sides Tell Their Stories • Ronald J. Drez • David Eisenhower HISTORY • 2004 • HARD COVER • 64 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS An engaging and well-constructed history of the D-Day invasion for readers in grades 5 to 8, complete with anecdotes from soldiers, black-and-white photographs, plenty of historical information, and an introduction by David Eisenhower which paints a personal portrait of his grandfather, Dwight. (USA96, $17.95)
Renoir, My Father • Jean Renoir BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2001 • PAPER • 437 PAGES The director of such cinematic masterpieces as The Rules of the Game and Grand Illusion, Jean Renoir was also an accomplished writer and a devoted son. His portrait of his father Pierre-Auguste remains the standard biography of the Impressionist master -- personable, informative and supremely affectionate. With 12 color plates. Originally published in 1958. (ART10, $18.95)
Rough Guide Brittany & Normandy • Greg Ward GUIDEBOOK • 2010 • PAPER • 439 PAGES Geared to the independent traveler, this guide to Brittany and Normandy combines an opinionated survey of culture and history with good information on sightseeing, food and accommodations. It includes sections on Monet, D-Day and Mont-St-Michel, as well as 40 maps and 8 pages of color photographs. (FRN238, $21.99)
Rough Guide France • Rough Guide GUIDEBOOK • 2009 • PAPER • 1268 PAGES A comprehensive guide to France, covering history, art, music and culture in detail. With a region-by-region overview of attractions and practical travel information. With 102 maps and a 24-page full-color introduction. (FRN183, $24.99)
Short Stories in French • Richard Coward LITERATURE • 2001 • PAPER • 214 PAGES From Daniel Boulanger's exploration of revenge and the desire for recognition in "The Hunter's Cafe," to Alain Gerber's brief and poetic "You Never Die," these stories by contemporary authors make good reading in any language. A volume in New Penguin Parallel Texts. (FRN594, $15.00)
The Silent World • Jacques Cousteau BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2004 • PAPER • 220 PAGES "When you dive, you begin to feel that you're an angel," wrote the celebrated explorer, inventor and personality Jacques Cousteau. This 50th anniversary edition of Cousteau's internationally best-selling memoir relives his invention of SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) and his first experiences with underwater exploration, while above ground, occupied France was caught in the throes of World War II. With 24 photographs. (OCE86, $15.00)
The Silent World • Jacques Cousteau BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2004 • PAPER • 220 PAGES "When you dive, you begin to feel that you're an angel," wrote the celebrated explorer, inventor and personality Jacques Cousteau. This 50th anniversary edition of Cousteau's internationally best-selling memoir relives his invention of SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) and his first experiences with underwater exploration, while above ground, occupied France was caught in the throes of World War II. With 24 photographs. (OCE86, $15.00)
South Wind Through the Kitchen, The Best of Elizabeth David • Elizabeth David FOOD • 2011 • HARD COVER • 400 PAGES A selection of recipes and essays, chosen judiciously by Jill Norman, from David's nine influential books, including Book of Mediterranean Food and French Country Cooking. With 200 recipes. David writes equally as well and insightfully about culture and society as about the food itself. Julian Barnes provides the introduction to this edition. First published in the 1950s. (MED30, $29.95)
The Splendid Century, Life in the France of Louis XIV • W. H. Lewis HISTORY • 1999 • PAPER • 305 PAGES A gloriously old-fashioned, rousing social history of 17th-century France, rich in anecdote. Lewis (brother of C.S. to whom the book is dedicated) evokes life in France under the reign of the Sun King. Much more than a history of Versailles. Originally published in 1957. (FRN328, $13.50)
Talking It Over • Julian Barnes LITERATURE • 1992 • PAPER • 272 PAGES The source material for a recent movie, the characters in this novel grapple with love and deception and Francophilia, many of the author's signature themes. After Gillian throws over safe and secure Stuart for artistic Oliver they retreat from gray England to make their home in the French Countryside. (GBR118, $16.00)
The Thirty Years' War • Geoffrey Parker HISTORY • 1997 • PAPER • 316 PAGES Now in a revised edition, this scholarly history of the major European conflict of the 17th century includes contributions by 10 historians. Habsburgs, French, Danes, Dutch, Swedes and Spanish all participated in what was essentially a German civil war. Among the outcomes were the annexation of Alsace by France, the annexation of Pomerania by Sweden and the legalization of Calvinism in Germany. (EUR115, $39.95)
To Travel Hopefully, Footsteps In The French Cevennes • Christopher Rush BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2005 • PAPER • 279 PAGES In a last ditch effort to regain himself after the death of his wife, Rush heads off to France with a donkey on the trail of fellow Scot Robert Louis Stevenson. It's a beautifully written, moving tale of getting through grief. (FRN534, $17.95)
The Tour De France, A Cultural History • C. S. Thompson HISTORY • 2008 • PAPER • 406 PAGES This authoritative, engaging history of the famous cycling event goes beyond a simple history of the race to consider the Tour de France and its meaning in a wider cultural context. (FRN584, $24.95)
Tours Blois Map 133 • IGN MAP A detailed, topographic map spanning Tours to Orleans at a scale of 1:100,000. One Side. 38x48 inches. (FRN486, $11.95)
A Travel Guide to Jewish Europe • Ben G. Frank GUIDEBOOK • 2001 • PAPER • 752 PAGES A guide to the sights, monuments and customs of modern Jewish Europe, from Alsace to Krakow. Frank provides historical overviews of Judaism in 18 countries, as well as practical travel information and advice for travelers in search of their ancestral roots. (EUR111, $25.00)
Travelers' Tales France • James O'Reilly • Larry Habegger ANTHOLOGY • 2002 • PAPER • 528 PAGES • COMING IN A wonderful collection of mostly contemporary tales, including such marvelous authors as Peter Mayle, M.F.K. Fisher, Mort Rosenblum, Ina Caro and Jan Morris. Organized thematically, it's a good introduction to the history, culture and character of France. With a section of practical travel information. (FRN05, $18.95)
Travels Through France and Italy • Tobias Smollett TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 1997 • PAPER • 144 PAGES First published in 1766, the British novelist Smolett (like many who came after him) writes of the travails and wonder of travel on the continent. The irascible writer, recovering from the death of his daughter, argues and fulminates his way through France and Italy. Called the first modern travelogue, it's a portrait of social life, politics, customs, religion -- and of the writer's state of mind -- that takes the form of a series of letters back home to Merry Olde England. (EUR124, $24.95)
Two Lives of Charlemagne • Nofker the Stammerer Einhard • Lewis G.M. Thorpe HISTORY • 1969 • PAPER • 227 PAGES Two 8th-century histories of Charlemagne and his military conquests. Both present a vivid account of his life and times, already establishing him as a legendary character. Thorpe's translation preserves the clarity and vividness of the Latin original. (FRN77, $15.00)
The Vagabond • Colette LITERATURE • 1995 • PAPER • 192 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS A colorful portrait of life in the music halls of early 20th-century Paris. Poetic and lucid, Colette's written depiction of a French dancer/mime is based on her own experiences. (FRN127, $10.95)
Vezelay, the Great Romanesque Church • Laurel Hirsch • Daniel Faure • Veronique Rouchon-Mouilleron ART & ARCHITECTURE • 1999 • HARD COVER • 160 PAGES • COMING IN With 145 specially commissioned photographs gracing its pages, this book traces the history of the great Vezelay. Art historian Veronique Rouchon Mouilleron guides readers through the history of this church, from its construction in 1120 through the progression of design into the next several centuries. (FRN244, $60.00)
Vichy France and the Jews • Robert O. Paxton • Michael Robert Marrus HISTORY • 1995 • PAPER • 432 PAGES An excellent, scholarly history of World War II-era France, an especially of Nazi collaboration by the Vichy government. The authors, after mapping events, ask, "Why did this happen?" (FRN291, $28.95)
Victor Hugo, A Biography • Graham Robb BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1998 • HARD COVER • 682 PAGES A tremendously well written, exhaustive biography of the eccentric genius Victor Hugo. Known primarily as the author of "Les Miserables" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," he was also a painter, architect and political thinker. Biographer Graham Robb, who also wrote on Balzac, not only captures the essence of Hugo's wild life, he provides an accurate depiction of France and England at the turn of the 20th century. (FRN167, $39.95)
Vive La Revolution, A Stand-up History of the French Revolution • Mark Steel HISTORY • 2006 • PAPER This "stand-up history" hits all the major points of the French revolution in a distinctly unique (and hilarious) style. Steel, as you might guess, is a British comedian with a flair for history. (FRN609, $15.00)
Walking in France, Exploring France's Great Towns And Finest Landscapes on Foot • John Souter • Gillian Souter GUIDEBOOK • 2005 • PAPER • 288 PAGES A wonderful guide for the independent traveler, featuring walks in a variety of French locations and settings. There are several suggestions for strolls in Paris as well as walks in rural areas, small cities and vineyards. With maps and color photographs. (FRN533, $20.00)
William the Conqueror, The Norman Impact Upon England • David C. Douglas HISTORY • 1964 • PAPER A classic account of the Norman invasion of England and its aftermath. By focusing on William the Conqueror, Douglas illustrates the monumental impact a man and his army had on the course of medieval history. (GBR249, $27.95)
Wine Country Europe, Touring, Tasting, And Buying At European Regional Wineries • Ornella D'Alessio • Marco Santini FOOD • 2005 • HARD COVER • 324 PAGES Part how-to, part guidebook, part picture book, this charming coffee table treat covers sprawling French vineyards as well as lesser-known hidden treasures in Austria and Hungary. The authors, both Italian journalists and wine connoisseurs, provide helpful tips alongside the hundreds of magnificent color photographs. (EUR191, $35.00)
Wine Country Europe, Touring, Tasting, And Buying At European Regional Wineries • Ornella D'Alessio • Marco Santini FOOD • 2005 • HARD COVER • 324 PAGES Part how-to, part guidebook, part picture book, this charming coffee table treat covers sprawling French vineyards as well as lesser-known hidden treasures in Austria and Hungary. The authors, both Italian journalists and wine connoisseurs, provide helpful tips alongside the hundreds of magnificent color photographs. (EUR191, $35.00)
A Woman's Story • Annie Ernaux BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2003 • PAPER • 92 PAGES A lovely, impressionistic tribute to the author's mother, who lived much of her life in Yvelot in Normandy, a long-eclipsed town halfway between Rouen and le Havre. Ernaux, a contemporary novelist, opens the memoir with the phone call she received that her mother had died after a long bout with cancer. (FRN218, $8.95)
A World Lit Only By Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance, Portrait of an Age • William Manchester HISTORY • 1993 • PAPER • 322 PAGES In this wide-ranging study, Manchester evokes in vivid detail the great figures and daily life of the 16th century, with information on Henry VIII, Magellan, Borgia, da Vinci and Martin Luther. This is his 18th book and Manchester knows how to tell a great story. It's divided into three sections: Renaissance, Reformation and Discovery. (EUR06, $15.99)

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