Paris (Timeless Places)

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book, great price.
Review: I was looking for some nice postcards or a small book with nice pictures of Paris. I'm very glad I found this one. Beautiful, not ordinary, colorful photographs printed on good paper; some history of Paris and words of love to that City. Photography books are so expensive! But look at this, it's a bargain.

Rating:
Summary: A Sketchy Overview, but Beautiful Photographs
Review: I've lived in Paris and visited it many times (though I'm not a Parisian). While Paris is not my very favorite city in the world, it certainly ranks in my "top five" and it is certainly one of the world's "timeless places," for Paris has been a city for more than 2000 years and it is certainly a wonderful mix of the ancient and the modern.

In TIMELESS PLACES PARIS, the author first gives us a brief overview of the history of Paris that I found very interesting. We learn about the founding of Paris on the Ile de la Cite in the middle of the Seine, in the third century BCE by a Celtic tribe the Romans called the Parisii. In 52 CE, the Romans, themselves, built a provincial capital called Lutetia.

TIMELESS PLACES PARIS tells us that while all traces of the Parisii are now gone, the Left Bank (Rive Gauche) still holds remnants of Lutetia and, in fact, two of Lutetia's original buildings are still extant...the 15th century Hotel de Cluny (which now houses the Musee National du Moyen Age, Cluny) and the Arenes de Lutece.

In this book's brief history, we also learn how Paris became one of the most important cities in Europe during the Middle Ages and home to one great Gothic cathedral after another, with the most important being Notre Dame, a building so beautiful some revere it as the beautiful ever designed and built.

We also learn that how Paris became a center of learning with the founding of the Sorbonne (classes were originally only in Latin, thus giving the Latin Quarter its name).

Paris, especially Montmartre, has always been the center of "la vie boheme," and a center for artists, writers and philosophers. So many of them, whether French or not, lived and died in Paris and Paris has contributed much to art, literature and poetry. It is the birthplace of Symbolism, Impressionism, Cubism, Fauvism, etc.

Paris is, without equal, a city of the senses. I think everyone is familiar, at least to some extent, with French cuisine, but Paris isn't just a feast for the palate, it's a feast for the eyes as well. Notre Dame, the Theatre National de l'Opera, the great white Roman-Byzantine Basilica of Sacre Coeur, the Art Nouveau entrances to the Paris Metro and the Eiffel Tower are all testament to Paris's wonderful sights.

There are other vistas in Paris that are just as important as the monuments and cathedrals, but less obvious to the casual observer. These include its many parks and gardens, chief among them, the Bois de Bologne, (the 2200 acre former royal hunting ground), the Tuileries on the Right Bank and the Luxembourg Gardens and the Jardin des Plantes on the Left as well as the "newer" Parc des Buttes-Chaumont.

More than anything else, in TIMELESS PLACES PARIS, we learn that Paris is, more than anything else, a living, thriving, changing city made up of the Parisians, themselves, who frequent its many boulangeries, fromageries and cafes. While only someone actually born in the city can call himself a true Parisian, we learn that the inhabitants of Paris are an ethnically diverse group encompassing Jews, Thai, Vietnamese, Indians, Japanese, Chinese, Ethiopian and Greek. Men, women and children in traditional Arabic dress ride the Metro side by side with native born Parisians in designer suits and dresses. The largest minority group now inhabiting Paris are North Africans who frequent the exquisite Paris Mosque on the Left Bank, a mosque that serves a tea to visitors every afternoon but Friday. The Institut du Monde Arabe houses the largest collection of Arab lore outside of the Arab world.

Paris is truly a "world city," and, as ancient and timeless as it is, it is ever changing and renewing itself daily. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Paris. You won't find a detailed history here and this is certainly not a guidebook, but the descriptions are fascinating and the photos are glorious. This would also make a wonderful gift for anyone who loves Paris or a beautiful "coffee table" book for your own home.

Rating:
Summary: A Sketchy Overview, but Beautiful Photographs
Review: I've lived in Paris and visited it many times (though I'm not a Parisian). While Paris is not my very favorite city in the world, it certainly ranks in my "top five" and it is certainly one of the world's "timeless places," for Paris has been a city for more than 2000 years and it is certainly a wonderful mix of the ancient and the modern.

In TIMELESS PLACES PARIS, the author first gives us a brief overview of the history of Paris that I found very interesting. We learn about the founding of Paris on the Ile de la Cite in the middle of the Seine, in the third century BCE by a Celtic tribe the Romans called the Parisii. In 52 CE, the Romans, themselves, built a provincial capital called Lutetia.

TIMELESS PLACES PARIS tells us that while all traces of the Parisii are now gone, the Left Bank (Rive Gauche) still holds remnants of Lutetia and, in fact, two of Lutetia's original buildings are still extant...the 15th century Hotel de Cluny (which now houses the Musee National du Moyen Age, Cluny) and the Arenes de Lutece.

In this book's brief history, we also learn how Paris became one of the most important cities in Europe during the Middle Ages and home to one great Gothic cathedral after another, with the most important being Notre Dame, a building so beautiful some revere it as the beautiful ever designed and built.

We also learn that how Paris became a center of learning with the founding of the Sorbonne (classes were originally only in Latin, thus giving the Latin Quarter its name).

Paris, especially Montmartre, has always been the center of "la vie boheme," and a center for artists, writers and philosophers. So many of them, whether French or not, lived and died in Paris and Paris has contributed much to art, literature and poetry. It is the birthplace of Symbolism, Impressionism, Cubism, Fauvism, etc.

Paris is, without equal, a city of the senses. I think everyone is familiar, at least to some extent, with French cuisine, but Paris isn't just a feast for the palate, it's a feast for the eyes as well. Notre Dame, the Theatre National de l'Opera, the great white Roman-Byzantine Basilica of Sacre Coeur, the Art Nouveau entrances to the Paris Metro and the Eiffel Tower are all testament to Paris's wonderful sights.

There are other vistas in Paris that are just as important as the monuments and cathedrals, but less obvious to the casual observer. These include its many parks and gardens, chief among them, the Bois de Bologne, (the 2200 acre former royal hunting ground), the Tuileries on the Right Bank and the Luxembourg Gardens and the Jardin des Plantes on the Left as well as the "newer" Parc des Buttes-Chaumont.

More than anything else, in TIMELESS PLACES PARIS, we learn that Paris is, more than anything else, a living, thriving, changing city made up of the Parisians, themselves, who frequent its many boulangeries, fromageries and cafes. While only someone actually born in the city can call himself a true Parisian, we learn that the inhabitants of Paris are an ethnically diverse group encompassing Jews, Thai, Vietnamese, Indians, Japanese, Chinese, Ethiopian and Greek. Men, women and children in traditional Arabic dress ride the Metro side by side with native born Parisians in designer suits and dresses. The largest minority group now inhabiting Paris are North Africans who frequent the exquisite Paris Mosque on the Left Bank, a mosque that serves a tea to visitors every afternoon but Friday. The Institut du Monde Arabe houses the largest collection of Arab lore outside of the Arab world.

Paris is truly a "world city," and, as ancient and timeless as it is, it is ever changing and renewing itself daily. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Paris. You won't find a detailed history here and this is certainly not a guidebook, but the descriptions are fascinating and the photos are glorious. This would also make a wonderful gift for anyone who loves Paris or a beautiful "coffee table" book for your own home.

Rating:
Summary: La vie Parisienne
Review: Judith Mahoney Pasternak understands Paris: she not only is well-schooled in the history of the City of Lights, she is also acquainted with the intimate side of Paris. This is the type of book that will prepare the nascent visitor to Paris with an insider's view and will also substitute for a personal scrapbook for frequent visitors. The book is divided into two parts: L'Histoire (with sections on 'The City of Yesterday', 'A City of the Mind', 'A City of the Senses', and 'The Living City') and Les Images. The photography is atmospheric, elegant and informative, mixing the requisite grand buildings with intimate photos of the Parisians sitting along the Seine, wrapping cheeses, in the flea markets. This book truly contains the spirit of Paris and belongs in every traveller's library.

Rating:
Summary: La vie Parisienne
Review: Judith Mahoney Pasternak understands Paris: she not only is well-schooled in the history of the City of Lights, she is also acquainted with the intimate side of Paris. This is the type of book that will prepare the nascent visitor to Paris with an insider's view and will also substitute for a personal scrapbook for frequent visitors. The book is divided into two parts: L'Histoire (with sections on 'The City of Yesterday', 'A City of the Mind', 'A City of the Senses', and 'The Living City') and Les Images. The photography is atmospheric, elegant and informative, mixing the requisite grand buildings with intimate photos of the Parisians sitting along the Seine, wrapping cheeses, in the flea markets. This book truly contains the spirit of Paris and belongs in every traveller's library.