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"Born To Shop, Paris" by Suzy Gershman (Fodors, 80F) "You've seen Notre-Dame and had your café au lait now it's time to go shopping!" says the cover to this pocket-sized gem, now in its the seventh edition. It's aimed at rich Americans - Gershman begins by thanking the staff at the Crillon and the Hilton, who help her so much with her research - and crammed with good addresses and gift ideas. Not the ideal present for the Marxist expat, but she has a chatty, irreverent style that is hard to resist. A typical entry (for a designer kid's clothing store) reads "Expensive but sublime Euro-Asian waif heaven. It's not cheap, but oh my dear, this is Paris!" "The Food Lover's Guide to Paris" by Patricia Wells (Workman, 120F) Wells is restaurant critic for the International Herald Tribune, and one of the few Americans to earn the respect of the French food establishment. This is the fourth edition of her guide, updated for 1999. Her tastes are expensive - there isn't a restaurant with a menu under 200F - and rather predictable, but she really loves food, and her enthusiasm is infectious. The guides includes recipes, anecdotes, a long glossary, and some fine black-and-white photos. You can also visit her on the Internet at www.patriciawells.com. "French Hotels & Restaurants 1999" (Rough Guides/Le Routard, 110F) My French friends say you can't trust any English guide when it comes to food, because those Anglo-Saxons will eat anything. April saw salvation, with the first English translation of this French standard, updated every year by the team at Le Routard. Nearly 1,000 pages long, it covers the whole country, and still finds nearly a hundred pages for Paris and its environs. The restaurants are all cheap and all serve top quality food; the maps are also good. The "Rough Guide to Paris," published by the same team, is also one of the best, with very thorough listings (including the best Turkish baths and pool halls) and rundowns on residential areas that most books ignore (it has two pages on my quartier, the monument-free 14th, and I was very happy to learn that Jacques Tati was born on my street). "Antique and Flea Markets of London and Paris" by Robert Thomas and Eglé Salvy (Thames & Hudson, 120F) Really two books in one. Just translated from French, one half is a wonderfully thorough catalog to Paris' five main puces, with pride of place given to St-Ouen and its 12 specialty markets. Every stall is described, and maps and a thematic index allow you to find any object in any market. Flip it over and you get the same treatment for London, this time by an Englishman. "Paris Pas Cher 1999" by Anne and Alain Riou (Le Seuil, 95F) If your French is up to it, this classic volume, updated annually, is the business. It contains 2,500 of the best addresses, organized thematically in 38 chapters, including freebies, food, shoes, children, furniture, restaurants, weddings and travel. The detailed index, with entries like "orchids," "pajamas" and "Internet cafés," makes it easier to find the entry you need. This year saw the release of a serious competitor, "Paris des Bonnes Affaires" (Flammarion, 89F), with more addresses (3,000) but a lackluster layout. "Le Paris des Tout-Petits" (Mango, 129F) Now in its third edition, this massive French tome is a wonderful reference for parents. It includes 6,000 useful addresses, covering every subject from maternity hospitals and kindergartens to toy stores and museums for kids. The listings are serious and reliable, and astonishingly thorough. The last seven pages, "Tips for English Speakers," are a quick summary in English. The same publisher also does "Le Paris des 7-14 ans," for older kids. Equally of note is "Découvrir Paris est un Jeu d'Enfant" (Parigramme, 35F), featuring 300 places to visit with the screaming sniffs in tow. "Paris Out of Hand" by Karen Elizabeth Gordon (Chronicle, 140F) Deeply strange, this one, and lots of fun. It's an imaginary guide to a Paris of the mind, full of surreal wit and endless off-the-wall jokes at the expense of normal travel guides. The icons in the hotel listings include an eye (meaning "the concierge never misses a thing") and a salmon ("fish left on pillow"), and the phrase section provides such useful expressions as "I'd like to take your hyena out for a drink" and "There is a grasshopper in my croissant." A whole bookful of that kind of relentless silliness is pretty tiring. But relief comes from the literary quotes, all real and well-chosen, and the truly brilliant design - by Nick Bantock, creator of the billion-selling "Griffin and Sabine" trilogy - a series of stunning, surreal collages of Belle Epoque Paris. A wonder! |
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