Customer Reviews

Around and About Paris, Volume 1: From the Dawn of Time to the Eiffel Tower (Arrondissements 1 - 7)

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Around and About Paris, Volume 1, reads pretty much like a medium-quality textbook; it's dense (*tiny* print and very small amounts of white space), it's informative (*filled* with trivia and fascinating - as well as not-so-fascinating - facts), and it's obtuse in places. The book does provide lots of information and some very nice Paris walks, but you'll have to sieve through a lot of junk to get to the meat of it.

The book's most serious problem, at least for me, is the writing. I suspect, though I don't know, that the author's English was a second language. The sentences are at times torturously constructed. Often, subjects and verbs are in places where a native English speaker probably wouldn't put them; sometimes one or the other is even missing - when you parse the sentence, you realize it's actually just a very long fragment, with lots of clauses that confuse the issue. Sometimes, too, it isn't clear what a modifier is supposed to be modifying, or which noun a pronoun refers to. In the worst cases, the meaning of a sentence cannot be divined at all because an error has been made at a crucial point. Some careful, detailed editing could've made this book a lot easier to read and use - and more informative, too.

However, there is still a lot of information in Around and About, even if you do have to work to get at it. The maps aren't the clearest in the world, but they're good enough, especially since prominent landmarks are marked. And the walks themselves provide an interesting take on Paris; the idea of walking through history is a great one. Parents with older children could probably use this as a resource for some very educational traveling, though I would recommend that the adults do the reading and then condense and prune somewhat for the kids.

All in all, despite the book's flaws, it's a nice supplementary resource for people visiting Paris - or those studying French history. You will, however, also want more conventional guidebooks or textbooks unless Paris and its history is already very familiar ground indeed.

I have never been able to appreciate history until Around and About Paris! Ms. Vallois has brought centuries of Paris history to life in the fun and interesting way she tells its stories. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about Paris than what's housed in the Louvre.

After reading every travel guide I could get my hands on concerning Paris, France, finally I've found one that actually quenches my thirst and feeds my hunger! This is the Bible of Paris. The little details are so fascinating and exquisite, you can read this book over and over again. If I were stuck on a deserted island, as far from Paris as possible, I'd still want this to be one of the top five books I took with me. It would keep me going for a long, long time. Don't go to Paris without it. In fact, don't go to the doctor's office without it-- perfect to take everywhere.

If you like to roam around Paris on your own and get a feel for the history of the most beautiful and exciting city in the world, then this and its sister companions (Vols II and III) are for you. Thirza Vallois (for the sake of transparency,I have meet the author and have visited with her several times) has covered every street in the city and gives a fascinating view of the evolution of the city. The first volume is a must read, both the introductions and the tours are vibrant and illuminating. Don't miss the Hotel Carondelet.

The first few pages in each chapter provide a general historical and social development of the arrondissement. These are informative. However these few pages are followed by many, many pages describing a walking tour of the arrondissement which are a compendium of trivia. But well organized trivia at that: following the course of the walking tour. Typical description of a point of interest in the walking tour concerns a structure that is no longer there and has been replaced by some other structure; for example: "...Building "X" used to stand at no. 7 rue "Z", now occupied by "R". It was designed and built by "M", interior contained furniture designed by "Q" (some destroyed during the Revolution, remaining are in Museum "B") and books (many of which are now in the National Library). This building fronted Rue "W" which has now disappeared when Boulevard "U" was opened up...A prominent literary salon was held here by Madame "C" attended by such luminaries of the time as "T", "V", "E". ... and so on and on.

The pity of it is that even this sort of discourse might be interesting and leave a mental residue IF only the street layout/building details, which have now disappeared but are noted in the text, are also superimposed onto the map of modern street layout. But this is not done and the reader is often left guessing about the location/orientation of the "disappeared" and is left with no means to anchor the minutia he/she just read. Only a smallish modern street layout map is provided for each arrondissement, but with the fairly well placed arrows directing a walking tour. (I found only one "disappeared" structure described in the text which is also marked on the map: the Tower of Louvre.)

Overall, this is not a guide I would buy (I returned it, but for a few seconds thought of keeping it just because it identified the possible site of d'Artagnan's accommodations). I would stick with the Blue Guides for the detailed and authoritative exposition on history, architecture, and some social developments.

As someone who has haunted Paris for decades, I can say that there is no more wonderful companion than Thirza Vallois. Her three volumes of Around and About Paris, covering every arrondissement with both erudition and joy, are almost as deep and rich and rewarding as the city itself. They are to be carried about for consulting on foot, and read in your armchair for pleasure and information you will not find in the run-of-the-mill "guide." These books are for explorers and dreamers, scholars and lovers. If you want to know Paris, you can not do better.

For many, the word "Paris" brings to mind the Eiffel Tower, 'haute couture', the Seine, 'haute cuisine', cafés, and if you're a connoisseur, 'l'escargot.' Thirza Vallois, author of the reader-friendly three-volume historical guide, AROUND AND ABOUT PARIS, is the 'connaisseur' of Paris nonpareil to lead you on enlightening and entertaining voyages through time and space in this city "of perpetual change . . in perpetual motion." From inside the walls that no longer exist to outside recent constructions, these books follow the historical order, from 1 through 20, of the 'arrondisments' as they developed in an outward spiral like a snail shell. Each 'arrondisement' has its wealth of stories of events and personalities. The author, with her academic and encyclopedic knowledge of French history, society and culture has crafted a work that speaks to us easily and eloquently of Paris yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Those who have had the good fortune to attend one of Thirza's lectures or to join one of her walking tours are always eager to have her books to continue the voyage and keep the delight. They are essentials for anyone passionate about this city. There is so, so much to discover. Each volume has an index for effortless access to the huge amount of information provided - particular buildings, streets, people or events that pique your curiosity. And, don't forget, AROUND AND ABOUT PARIS is a walking guide with maps throughout and specific instructions for seeing every neighborhood and its main attractions by foot.

What we love to do most in Paris is walk (when not sitting in a café fascinated by the Parisian parade.) When we walk in Paris we become part of that parade of life, that non-stop flow, a continuing evolution that embraces the past, nurtures the present and projects the future. As we walk our observations are so much richer and more meaningful if we are informed. We can see so much more. We are fortunate to have available such an able companion as AROUND AND ABOUT PARIS. (Volume 1 is available as an e-book as well as in trade paperback.)