Following in the footsteps of the great classic 35mm photographers Meredith Mullins has just come out with a new book on Paris, which captures the city in timeless tones of black-and-white. The book is an artfully presented collection of photographs and stories that capture the essence of Paris.
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Enter the world of Olivier and Madison Malin, the glittering inhabitants of Paris’s most exclusive neighbourhood, the Left Bank. The Malins’ life together with their daughter is the stuff of dreams – and carefully-selected celebrity magazines. Madison is an American film star: her beauty, talent and perfect accent hiding her Texan roots, and the fact she’s just turned forty (although that actually happened several years ago). Her husband, Olivier, is the darling of the sophisticated Left Bank: philosopher, gourmand and media personality, he craves adoration (and is a little too willing to return it). Everything seems perfect – if a touch pretentious – right up until the moment a new English nanny, Anna, appears at the imposing doors of their Rue du Bac apartment. Gamine and artless, Anna unwittingly sets in motion a chain of events that will gravely endanger the Malins’ daughter, and their charmed lives – in ways no-one could have foreseen…

Moulin Rouge: Instants Volés by Vlada Krassilnikova (Editions du Collectionneur) Based on a striking series of black and white pictures, this book chronicles the artist’s voyage from aspiring dancer to full-fledged performer, to nostalgic photographer – via photo documentation focusing on women at today’s Moulin Rouge. The first Russian to join the troupe back in 1993, Krassilnikova combines first-hand anecdotes with a personal look at the showgirls as they prepare for a performance. A mix of “truth and fantasy,” her work penetrates the spectacle of this world-famous landmark, portraying the real individuals inside it, through behind-the-scenes images.

 This book is for anyone contemplating a serious relationship, with… France. Essential reading if planning to live or work in that country, it is the most up-to-date source of practical information available about everyday life there. Guaranteed to hasten your introduction to la vie française, and most importantly, to save you time, trouble and money.

To buy the book from Survival Books 

What makes fashionistas willing to pay a small fortune for a particular designer accessory? Why does a special occasion only become really special when a champagne cork pops? Why are diamonds the status symbol gemstone, instantly signifying wealth, power, and even emotional commitment? Writing with élan, one of the foremost authorities on 17th-century French culture provides the answer to these and other fascinating questions in her account of how, at one glittering moment in history, the French under Louis XIV set the standards of sophistication, style and glamour that still rule our lives today. Joan DeJean takes us back to the birth of haute cuisine, the first appearance of celebrity hairdressers, chic cafés, nightlife, and fashion in elegant dress that extended well beyond the limited confines of court circles.

Essential reading for anyone who imagines themselves living “the good life” following the footsteps of Peter Mayle out to the  French countryside. This book gives a realistic view of the pleasure and pain of actually attempting  it while providing  comprehensive practical advice on everything from buying property, to keeping livestock to meeting the neighbors. True to the publishers name the book is chocked full of practical information on all things French including the country’s legendary administration. You won’t want to leave home without it. To buy the book from Survival Books 

Stephen Clarke keeps the punch lines coming in this sequel to his best-seller, “A Year in the Merde.” The adventures of British expat Paul West pick up where they left off, exposing with no little hilarity the agony and the ecstasy of living among the French. Clarke has a keen eye and a keener ear for their quirks, foibles and irrationalities, and although the story could  be tighter and the jokes funnier, the characters never disappoint. As pleasant a way to while away an afternoon as its predecessor!

In this intelligently-written and supremely entertaining new history, Colin Jones sets out to give a sense of the city of Paris as it has been lived in and experienced, from one period to the next. The focal point of generation upon generation of admirers and detractors, a source of attraction or repulsion, even for those who have never been there, this town has witnessed more extraordinary events than any other. No spot on earth has been more walked around, written about, discussed, painted and photographed. With an eye for revealing, startling and (sometimes) horrible details, Colin Jones takes the reader from Roman Paris to the present, recreating the ups and downs of this capital and its inhabitants, in an entertaining historical perspective. Attentive at once to the urban environment and to the experiences of those who have lived within it, at different stages of its evolution, “Paris: Biography of a City” will be hugely enjoyed by habitual “Paris dream”  obsessives, by first-time visitors, and by those who know its landmarks only by repute.