Permanent Parisians: An Illustrated Guide to the Cemeteries of Paris - Softcover

Culbertson, Judi; Randall, Tom

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0930031032 ISBN 13: 9780930031039

Publisher: Chelsea Green Pub Co, 1986

Synopsis

Many of the great cemeteries of Paris are like outdoor museums. They harbor extraordinary statuary, arresting images of individuals both famous and obscure. This book takes the reader on 19 walking tours in Paris, each filled with its own unique surprises. Pere Lachaise, Montmartre, Montparnasse, the Catacombs, Les Invalides, the Pantheon, as well as several lesser known but perhaps equally rewarding sites are covered. Ten original maps guide the traveler to the many notables. The lives of more than 60 permanent Parisians are chronicled in short, lively biographies. Over 200 black and white photographs.

About this title

Review

"There is little depressing about French cemeteries. Although the three or four hundred cats of Père Lachaise lie low during the day, its passages are alive with gatekeepers, picnickers, and tourists looking for famous names. Such names are around every corner. Here is Chopin, there Gertrude Stein. Among those buried in Père Lachaise alone are Marcel Proust, Oscar Wilde, Sarah Bernhardt, Isadora Duncan, Auguste Comte, Georges Seurat, Edith Piaf, and Héloïse and Abélard."

Permantent Parisians provides a guided tour through the cemeteries of Paris, with lively biographical discussions and photographs of the beautifully decadent sculptures and statuary to be found on each itinerary. Lest you think such sights morbid, consider these words by Balzac: "I seldom go out, but when I feel myself flagging I go and cheer myself up in Père Lachaise ... while seeking out the dead, I see nothing but the living." --Jhana Bach

From Library Journal

Parisian cemeteries are a major tourist attraction. Most guide books to Paris mention to the cemeteries of Pere Lachaise, Montmartre, and, of course, Napoleon's tomb at Les Invalides. Here each cemetery is given a chapter, save for Pere Lachaise, which has four chapters. The graves of the prominent, famous, and infamous are noted with a brief sketch of each person's life. Photographs are abundant and maps are clearly drawn. A compendium of little-known facts about people, this unique guide is as much fun to browse as the graveyards themselves. This is the first in a series (New York City is next). Highly recommended. Paula M. Zieselman, Sarah Lawrence Coll. Lib., Bronxville, N.Y.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Chelsea Green Pub Co
• Publication date: 1986
• ISBN 10: 0930031032
• ISBN 13: 9780930031039
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 230