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SAINT-GERMAIN-DES-PRÉS

Name: SAINT-GERMAIN-DES-PRÉS
Author: John Baxter
ISBN: 978-0-06-243190-5

PARIS'S REBEL QUARTER

by John Baxter ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 8, 2016

Whether you’re planning your first trip to Paris or absolutely have to stop in Paris on your way anywhere, this book, in...

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Baxter (Hemingway's Paris: A User's Guide, 2016, etc.) provides another delightful salute to Paris.

Born in Australia, the author first traveled to Paris in 1969. Now married with a daughter, he lives in Saint-Germain-des-Prés village. The area managed to avoid much of Baron Haussmann’s destructive urban renewal, which leaves it with lots of quaint corners filled with shops and fascinating history. As a Paris walking guide, the author delights with anecdotes both historical and current. He takes us through the Cour de Rohan and the Cour du Commerce Saint-André, making even seasoned travelers feel as if no one else knew of their existence. Baxter notes that publisher Jean-Paul Marat’s print shop was at No. 8, while at No. 6, Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin perfected his killing device, “on which hundreds would die until France abandoned capital punishment in 1981.” Among other highlights in the area are chocolatier Debauve, which embossed Marie Antoinette’s sweets with gold; the 18th-century restaurant and salon Privés La Pérouse; Miss Betty’s Brothel; and the unnamed “beat hotel” that “attracted some significant literary figures of the postwar era.” The author doesn’t just note the best places to eat; he differentiates between a brasserie and a bistro and informs us what to eat where. For fans of the bohemian life and 1920s lost generation stars, there are numerous spots to seek out, including the trails of stars like Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Isadora Duncan, and her even stranger brother, Raymond. As in previous books, the author makes readers feel as they are returning to a familiar, comfortable spot in the company of good friends.

Whether you’re planning your first trip to Paris or absolutely have to stop in Paris on your way anywhere, this book, in addition to the author’s previous guides, is essential.

Pub Date: Nov. 8, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-243190-5

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Perennial/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Aug. 9, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2016

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
OF LOVE AND PARIS
by John Baxter

- BOOK REVIEW
A YEAR IN PARIS
by John Baxter

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE NIGHTS IN PARIS
by John Baxter

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.