These maps fold easily, fit in a pocket or purse, are laminated (water repellant)and the Paris map covers 80% of the main area of the city. It is not as good for areas outside of the city center (that is, outside of the single-digit arrondissments). Includes a metro map, and listing of street names with map locators. For walking around the most popular tourist areas, it is perfect. If you need a map that covers a larger area by all means buy another one and consult it before you go out, but don't walk around without Streetwise. I used it on my first trip to Paris and I used it on my ninth.

Used it during pre-trip planning to research where to stay. Took it with us every day while exploring the streets of Paris, which can be confusing. Much better than a bulky paper fold-out map. Dropped our Streetwise while out in the rain but it suffered no damage because of its lamination. It also includes metro stops.

Be sure to get the "Streetwise" map and not the "Artwise" map. The Streetwise series includes an index of street names on the reverse, while the Artwise gives a list of museums & opening times. Index of street names is much more useful.

Also, the "Let's Go" people publish a similar type of map, but the Streetwise covers a greater area.

This map was an essential element of my time spent in Paris. It is perfect if you're going to be in Paris and need a very detailed street map while walking through the city. It doesn't cover many of the outer-lying areas, but it covers the heart of the city in-depth. I speak zero French and this map got me wherever I needed to go. I would recommend any of 'Streetwise' maps. I have used quite a few, both internationally and nationally, and have found them all to be extremely useful. In fact, whenever I know I'm going to be visiting a different city I buy one! Also worth the price because the maps are very durable, they're laminated and I've never had one tear on me.

Eugene Atget (1857-1927) spent almost thirty years photographing details of often inconspicuous Parisian buildings, side streets, cul-de-sacs, and public sculptures. In Focus: Eugene Atget brings together more than 50 of the J. Paul Getty Museum's 295 photographs by Atget, with commentary on each image by associate curator of photographs at the Getty Museum, Gordon Baldwin. Atget's photograph and Baldwin's commentary are enhanced with a chronological overview of Atget's life and an edited transcript of a colloquium on his career. In Focus: Eugene Atget is a superbly presented and invaluable contribution to the history of photography.

Eugene Atget (1857-1927) is the undisputed photo-documentarian of 19th century Paris. With studious attention to detail, Atget seemingly photographed every intimate corner of his much-loved city. Leaving the well-known monuments and boulevards to others, Atget instead concentrated on the atmospheric fabric of everyday Paris, photographing shops and window displays, cobbled streets, doorways, stairways, vehicles, churches, amusement parks, street-peddlers and prostitutes.

Unraveling the mystery of Eugène Atget's life and work is easier said than done. Now considered to be one of history's most important photographers, Atget was relatively unknown during his lifetime. Posthumously famous for his photographs, Atget in fact made only a humble living selling his prints to architects, artists, and institutions.

Atget wrote in 1920, "I may say that I have in my possession all of Old Paris." His systematic method of photographing Paris street by street is spellbinding, and the result is a detailed catalogue of 19th century Paris. The result of Eugène Atget's life's work is gathered here in a heartbreakingly beautiful book for lovers of Paris, architecture, and photography.

I received this book as a gift because not only do I collect photography books but I also frequently go to Paris because I love the city. This book is full of full page photos of Paris in the past and has a dreamy quality of the day to day events and sites of Paris and the surrounding areas. It's a great collectible book for photography fans and Paris lovers.

a wonderful book, showing the real character of paris to whet your appetite. as someone who is soon to go to Paris for the first time, i loved this book for doing the legwork for me in finding those little boutiques that add character to your holiday , that i probably would have missed. i'm sure they will lead me to other great little shops and experiences.

As a part-time resident of Paris, I thought I knew all of the "bons addresses", those hard-to-find shops where you can find that perfect, unique gift for yourself or someone at home. I was wrong! On my next trip to Paris, I'll be looking into a number of the lovely boutiques mentioned in this book. Not only are the addresses provided, complete with compelling descriptions, but there are gorgeous photos that make your mouth water in anticipation of actually visiting these havens of shopping pleasure, if only to browse and take in the beauty of their wares. Bravo to the authors and photographer!

I loved this book. As an American who lives half time in France, a former restauranteur and ardent Francophile, it had all the things that most interest me here. A type of lifestyle very similar in many ways to the rural people who live all around me in Normandie, the story of a restaurant struggling to survive and prosper, as all small business owners do, and the experiences of an expatriate family who tried their best to assimilate into the French culture, something which is very hard for unilingual Americans to do.

This book is required reading if you plan to visit this region of France. Most North Americans have never really learned about the art (and science) of the production of fois gras, and the I found the chapter dedicated to that subject to be truly fascinating and educational...probably the best chapter in the book. Another excellent section is the discussion of the French obsession with the Michelin star rating system of restaurants. Both of these chapters give you a good look into the French food culture...one on the specific production techniques of one of the very most "French" of foods, and the other a look into the (macro) French psyche of food as a central part of life and culture.

This book, along with "A Castle in the Backyard" are two good narratives of life in the Dordogne/Lot region of France.

This is a delicately written account of a small village, its local restaurant, and its agricultural life, the village residing in the valley of the Lot river in central France. The book is also the record of encounters with a number of memorable, wise, and (mostly) kind village people and is, moreover, redolent with the aroma of truffles, foie gras, and the dark wine of Cahors. Reading it, one learns a great deal about farming in that part of the world, and about what is required to create a really first rate restaurant. I consider this admirable book to be in the splendid tradition exemplified by M.F.K. Fisher, Freda White, and Adam Gopnik.

Refreshing that Michael Rothenberg has written the 'Paris Journals' ...as a relative novice to Euro travel (I spent a month or two in the Greek isles) I found that reading this great book made me want to find out for myself. It's like an open doorway leading to the psyche of an interesting friend. From beginning to end, well worth the trip...

A must buy for every traveler to Paris. Wherever Michael Rothenberg goes you want to go with him. He sees it all in every exhibition. Behind each painting another imagination conjured in penetrating reflection. He has poetry by the throat and drags it around with him. Genius and tenacity. He is the troubadour.Not cool objectivity but personal obsession. Brandishing a baguette as he mounts the Eiffel Tower to call out his own liberation. There's something to discover here and Rothenberg makes it seem easy. With Rothenberg, it's always Romance. and always the first time.

This book is a real trip and apparently so is the author. I read his novel Punk Rockwell and was sorry it ended so took a chance on the Paris Journals. The trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower from where he calls his mother and then takes you home to bed with him is alone worth the price of admission. Rothenberg displays his appropriately maladjusted relationship to a world that is not quite ready for someone with his degree of insight.

I bought this book because of the section on Paris. I was very disappointed in the book because it was of little help. There is no map shown of where the bistros might be so there was no way of knowing where any were. The list of addresses didn't really help as Paris, unlike New York, is not laid out on a grid and the addresses actually give an idea of the location. Also, most of the bistros were the higher priced ones.

This guide for the neophyte bistrophile traveling in Paris is a "must have". Sightseeing planned around meals as the primary intent and location as secondary is our kind of trip. Brasserie Flo and Chez Louie are favorites. Buy some "Slimfast" for consumption one week before and one week after this trip. The NY Guide is just as helpful. We have never been disappointed with their recommendations. Bistro Les Amis on Spring Street is a favorite. Seasonal cuisine indoor or outdoor weather permitting.

"Best Bistros & Brasseries" is the best food-specific guide I have used. Long time residents of NYC and lovers of French food, my husband and I have often sifted through pages of other restaurant guides trying to locate the perfect restaurant in the right neighborhood. Flipping back and forth between the list of restuarants by neighborhood and/or cuisine and the index did not add to a pleasant dining experience! The BBB makes easy work of this often daunting task by organizing the restaurants in rank order by neighborhood. In addition, the book contains a true working index. If you know the name of the restaurant you'd like to visit, simply refer to the index which lists each restaurant featured in the book, its rating, address, and location in the guide for a more detailed review.

Modernity is what defines the work of Baudelaire. No elegant poems of love; no countryside-dreaming; no evocation of the Classics nor references to the past. On the contrary: urban life; the alienation brought aboout by capitalism; the angst of poor urban dwellers; alcohol and drugs. Poetry is no more just the search for beauty through words. Now, it is a vehicle for the expression of the individual. Content is more important than form, and therefore Baudelaire gets rid of the constraints imposed by verse, even free verse, and lets his soul spill out in a not lyrical, but dark manner.

These prose poems were my first experience with Baudelaire. I didn't know what to expect, but they're pretty good. They are often vague, but even then manage to be evocative. I'll admit I also bought the book to help my French along (as it is bilingual), but it's Baudelaire and it's good and sometimes thought-provoking reading. Enivrez-vous! De vin, de poesie, de vertu, a votre guise. Enjoy.

With the Disney animated movie as inspiration for this story and illustrations, lonely Quasimodo, with only a trio of "Three Stooges"- like gargoyles for company, rescues a kitten, who becomes his friend. When he sees the sad little girl who lost the kitten, Quasimodo does what a real friend would do, despite the sacrifice to himself. Of course, there`s nothing like this in the Hugo classic, but it stands on its own as a warm children`s story.

Heard the taped version of ZARAFA by Michael Allin, the true story of how a giraffe in 1826 got from Africa to become the first such animal ever seen in France . . . she was a royal offering from Muhammad Ali, Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt, to King
Charles X of France, presented in the hopes of keeping the French out of Ali's war against the Greeks . . . although her arrival did not accomplish its intended task, Zarafa did become an instant celebrity and fascinated all of Europe for the next 18 years.

Although the tale skipped around a bit too much, I did find it a fascinating history lesson . . . what's more, it gave me a good look at what publicity was all about--back in the nineteenth century . . . and it made me appreciate the herculean effort that took place in moving this magnificent creature such a distance.

"Zarafa" has been an enlightening piece of work for me. Mr. Allin weaves a very colorful background for the gift, the giraffe, from Egypt to France. Or he tries to, at least. I've learned a lot of historical and geographical details from the book, in addition to the giraffe's long journey. However, in trying to incorporate too much history into this little lovely story, Mr. Allin's sometimes disregards the revelance of such facts. As a result, the story of the leading lady is left half told while the structure of the book seems loose. In other words, the writing isn't good enough for the story. In reflecting on this book, another book came to mind. Mark Kurlansky's "Cod-A biography of the fish that changed the world" is one of the most charming books I've read in many years. Also created out of an interesting animal story, Mr. Kurlansky writes beautifully, too.

I nearly set this book aside, unread, when the author started talking about his personal fascination with snakes. What was this all about? I am so glad I skipped through is personal information and entered the world of Zarafa! I was enthralled by the descriptions of Africa and the 1800s... I followed each step of the giraffe's journey on the map provided, never wanting it to end. The book makes an avid reader want more about the history and culture of the time. I agree, though, that the description of Zarafa herself and her life in Paris is lacking. I was quite disappointed at the way the story ended without more details about her life, her health, her diet, her happiness. Maybe more excerpts from the newspapers of the time, more personal accounts from people who saw her would have been nice. But all in all -- imagine being there at the time and seeing that beautiful animal proudly march by! And thanks to the author for all the research that went into this book! Incredible!

THIS PARIS GUIDE BOOK HAS NO INDEX. Unless you ALREADY KNOW Paris, you won't be able to use this book to look up areas, suggested sights to see, nor any other specific travel information that you may need. Family trip planning NEEDS indices to make the planning easier. Our family used the London For Families book extensively, both when planning and later as a reference book when traveling in London. I was really excited to learn that the Lains were publishing a Paris Guide for families. It was very disappointing to find that an index---which these days requires nothing more than a computer program---wasn't provided. Without an index this book gets a 2 star as nothing more than a nice read with some ideas for family excursions in Paris.

The aim of this book is admirable, but it promises more than it delivers. Although I do believe that chapters on preparation, airport transfers, french food, etc. are of value, I was disappointed that in a 276 page book, only about 100 pages are actually devoted to specific destinations within Paris. The information offered is good, I just wish that there was more.

My husband and I actually took our three kids (ages 9,8,6) to France last year for three weeks. We were in Paris for a week.

I thought this book was one of the best I'd ever read about traveling with children. It is a book that helps you understand the philosophy behind successful family travel. Great tips on budgeting, packing, scheduling and how to avoid killing each other. It also functioned as a "what to see guide" and it gave us great suggestions about things to do in Paris.

I'd recommend it to anyone who is planning a big trip with children even if you are going no where near Paris.