Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The travel book you've always wished for..., February 1, 2001
This review is from: Paris: The Collected Traveler: An Inspired Anthology and Travel Resource (Paperback)
Imagine: that good friend, or person in your office, who is a seasoned, savvy, world-traveler, always going on trips and having really great authentic wonderful experiences...that person that gets so-o-o-o excited when you tell them that you are planning a trip to a place they've visited, and they jot down pages of notes for you from their collection of books and notes and clippings, along with lots of great advice...and you just wish they would write down everything they know in a book...well here it is!!! Written and assembled in a totally engaging style (I defy you to put this book down once you've read two pages) and chock-full of all the good stuff you could ever want, plus more, this is THE ESSENTIAL travel book to get you primed for your trip to the City of Light. BUY and READ this book before you buy any other travel books, because there's a lot of good advice here about what you may or may not need or want for your trip (e.g., specialty books on the food of Paris, travel photography, etc.). If you are planning a trip to Paris, this is the first place to start...if you're still dreaming about it, buy this book and let your dreams unfold. The compilation of writing assembled here is incredible: funny, helpful, informative, provocative and evocative. You'll be thinking about things you would not have imagined before travelling and essentially adopting a travel philosophy. Let me emphasize that this is not a "travel writing" book. Instead, it takes travel writings and utilizes them to their fullest, by making them a practical part of your pre-trip education. Because it is also a collection of some really great travel-related writing, assembled and annotated with the knowledge of an author who obviously knows (and loves) her stuff, it's also perhaps the most enjoyably readable travel book I've ever come across. Sit down with this book and prepare for a "bon voyage". Many thanks to the author for finally creating a travel GUIDE book that pulls it all together. BRAVA! I can't wait to read the other books in this series! 5 STARS+
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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Guide, June 28, 2002
This review is from: Paris: The Collected Traveler: An Inspired Anthology and Travel Resource (Paperback)
I always have a difficult time finding a travel guide that I like. Some are little more than lists of monuments and other must-see attractions; some are better catagorized as historical surveys of a place. Very few give me a sense of what a place is actually like - and that is the strength of the Collector Traveler, Paris. This guide takes the unusual route of researching previously published articles and stories, colating them into themes, citing references and listing bibliographies. The editor of the guide, Barrie Kerper, is a keen researcher and for the small price of the guide, you can benefit from her efforts. For instance, besides the usual notations of the famous Michilin starred restaraunts of Paris, there are articles here about the best places to buy bread in the neighborhoods, or the best ice cream. The point is, traveling does not have to be about draining your bank account, but about living like the locals, even if only vicariously. I am a notorious and obsessive planner; before going on a long-anticipated trip, I start doing my research. I plan site-seeing routes, shopping trips, where to dine, and where to people watch; but what I cannot plan is what the destination will be like, what my response will be to all the scenes around me. The Collected Traveler gives me more insight into the reality of Paris than any I have ever read. And true to form, I am starting to obsess over all the new things I have learned. One thing I know for certain is that this book will travel with me when I go to Paris.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A nice book to read before your trip, June 21, 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Paris: The Collected Traveler: An Inspired Anthology and Travel Resource (Paperback)
This is a fun book, including, as it does, a series of magazine and newspaper articles on different facets of life and/or visiting in Paris. If you're looking for a guidebook, with maps, and lists and descriptions of highlights to see and instructions on how to get there, hours and prices, this is not the book you are looking for. BUT if you want to get more detailed descriptions of what's only touched on in the guidebooks, or reminiscences, personal essays on experiences, and a sense of the actual flavor of the place, then this is the book for you. There are essays on how the French tie their scarves; on the password you need to buy bread in a French bakery (communication gap: there wasn't one); on the history of the city and why it's called the City of Lights; on the carousels that are found everywhere; and on a multitude of other subjects people wanted to discuss. Will the book help you get around the city if you've never been there before? No. Will it give you an idea of what to look for, enjoy and expect? Definitely. The one shortcoming I found -- and the reason I've held my rating down to four stars -- is that the book has only a very vague table of contents, and no index. If you want to read about Pere LaChaise Cemetery, for instance, yes, there's an essay in there, but very little help on how to find it in 600 or so pages. The browsing is fine, but if you're looking for something specific, it can be frustrating.
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