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Non Fiction
June 2006 |
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Dear all,
Spring is turning into Summer, and like Baudelaire in his poem "L'Invitation au voyage" ("Invitation to a voyage"), we would like to invite you to discover France through its most recent tourist guides and travel books. France is geographically, culturally and gastronomically diverse, and its literature is a many-faceted treat as well.
This month's selection of books offers a slightly different perspective, it is an invitation to travel with us, to imagine, to dream.
Tourism is a key element in France's economy. More than 75 million tourists a year visit France, which is one of the most- visited countries in the world. Millions of Americans visit France for their vacations. A tool to use in better understanding the French, their values and their way of life, the Atlas des Français aujourd'hui (Atlas of the French today) steers us away from preconceived ideas, offering an instantaneous and accurate perspective on French society as it is now, as it continues to evolve.
A more traditional guidebook, Le guide des Merveilles de la Nature des Alpes (A Guide to the Wonders of Nature in the Alps) is a joyous invitation to discover the spectacular mountaintops, the waterfalls and the forests that make the Alps such a delightful area to visit. This guide has precise information about geological points of interest, as well as practical tips and historical details, accompanied by a selection of outstanding photos.
Tourism and ecology have been profitably linked for several years, and there are now French tour guides mapping ecological bicycle tours. La France par les voix vertes (Cycling "Green" in France) is a catalogue of some of the most beautiful French bicycle paths, from Alsace to the Luberon, from Brittany to the Canal du Midi. Bordeaux à vélo (Bordeaux by bike) offers similar thematic tours on routes around and through the capital of the Aquitaine region.
The "pocket" guide is also very successful in France. Hachette offers guides called Un grand week-end à... (A great weekend in ...) Paris, Nice, Lyon and Lille and in a compact 140 pages gives you the best insider addresses, as well as listings of important cultural and historical sites in these French cities. Another plus, their maps are detailed and well made. The Parigramme collection offers thematic guides, mostly centering on Paris, while also opening their catalogue to other large French cities. Some of our favorites: Les meilleurs restos exotiques de Paris, Où s'embrasser à Paris? Où écouter du jazz à Paris? Où bruncher à Paris?. There really is something for everyone.
Bretagne, carnet de charme (A Guide to enchanting Brittany) and Bord de mer, destinations et bonnes adresses des côtes de France (Seaside destinations and Guide to the coastal areas of France) are published by Dakota; they are both guidebooks and coffee table books, displaying photographs of hotels and restaurants with refined, aesthetic interiors.
And finally, Willy Ronis and Sempé take us on a trip to the France of yesterday as well as to the country as it is today. We are pleased to offer you these two books which are like collections of eternal "tourist postcards," images of a bygone France.
Willy Ronis' photographs have been shown since the month of October at the Paris City Hall, where the exhibit has enjoyed unprecedented success and has been extended through the month of May. In Paris Eternellement (Eternally Paris), he organises his book around the themes that have been part of his photographic life throughout his entire career in Paris: the Parisians, the bistrots and Paris by Night. These photos range in date from 1930 to 2000 and are revealing glimpses of Paris through nearly a century.
In Un peu de la France (A Little Bit of France), Sempé eloquently captures the France of yesteryear as it comes up against the France of today, with the style and humor which are his particular trademark.
By Fabrice Rozie, Anne-Sophie Hermil, Anne-Sophie Simenel and Margot Loizillon
Thank you to the ADPF, Rachel Spiegel and Paula Cianci