Paris (City Guide)

The stories in Travelers' Tales Paris throw open the creaky door of history and let the light of this marvelous city flood out. Just a few of the many authors found in the book are John Gregory Dunne, Ina Caro, Herbert Gold, Jan Morris, Edmund White, and Mort Rosenblum.

Ella Fitzgerald loved "Paris in the Springtime," Bogie and Bergman would "always have Paris," and Hemingway found Paris A Moveable Feast--the City of Light has plenty of fans, and for good reason. Paris is, quite simply, magic. In Travelers' Tales Paris, 43 essayists attempt to convey their experience of the city. Jack E. Bronston shares his passion for the French encyclopedia set Vie et Histoire, which covers in 20 volumes Paris's 20 arondissements, and takes you on a tour of the ninth arondissement while he's at it. In "Hair Pierre," Cailin Boyle attempts to master French chic along with the language: "Always wear tight jeans. Anywhere and anyhow. A must. Even at funerals. And heels. Podiatrists must retire early in France.... Carry an overstuffed shoulder bag. Watch for signs of curvature of the spine." In "Bearing Witness," Therese Lung describes in loving detail the quotidian life on the tiny Rue Watt--an old, unknown street where "elaborate, traditional iron banisters and streetlight globes separate pedestrians from the street on a raised sidewalk, turning it into a promenade"--just before it is to be demolished to provide underground parking for a new library.

John Gregory Dunne, Jan Morris, Edmund White, and Ina Caro are just a few of the contributors to this glowing paean to Paris; French strippers, the forest at Fontainbleu, a one-night stand with an unexpected partner--with each essay, a different facet of Paris emerges. For those readers who have visited Paris, Travelers' Tales Paris is likely to bring back memories; for those who haven't, it will provide some inspiration to go.