Customer Reviews

Paris: The Collected Traveler: An Inspired Anthology and Travel Resource

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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+

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.

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.

I found Ms. Kerper's anthology to be the perfect travel companion during a recent journey. She has finally produced something for travellers to take along that's as welcome as a map. The writing she has collected here offers a bounty of insights, new discoveries, suggestions and delights - offered in thoughtful, artistic prose. Under every rock a gold nugget. As a new rule, I've decided to start travelling to other places that are honored with a similar collection from Barrie Kerper; Tuscany and Provence are my next destinations!

If you're looking for a Paris guidebook with detailed maps, walking tours, recommended hotels and restauraunts, museum hours and prices, Metro information, and foolproof directions to Jim Morrison's grave in the Pere Lachaise Cemetery, read Rick Steve's trusted, five-star travel guide. But if you're curious why Paris is called "The City of Lights," why poets, philosophers, and politicians have revered the River Seine, where to find the perfect baguette, or why God himself would be perfectly happy living in Paris, read Barrie Kerper's anthology. It reveals why Paris is the ultimate European travel destination, and encourages readers to experience Parisian culture on their own, and immerse themselves in Paris beyond the pages of other best-selling travel guides.

Whether you're a seasoned Francophile or planning your first trip to Paris, this book offers illuminating insights into Parisian culture, history, neighborhoods, personalities, gardens, cemeteries and other monuments, restaurants, bohemian bistros and wine bars that make up the City of Lights.

G. Merritt

This is a great little book on the City of Paris but it is not the kind you read through once and then leave on the shelf. You will probably want to read parts of it at first and then keep returning as your interests and perspectives change. It won't be very useful as a guide book and will be enjoyed most by those who have already been to the City of Lights and loved it (who wouldn't love Paris?). What Kerper has done is compile a number of articles from just about everywhere and publish them in a single book. I didn't count them but there's a great big bunch of them. All of them are well written and some are by well-known writers ... James Baldwin and Saul Bellow, to name just a couple. All are done with the idea of bringing you closer to the spirit of Paris or to reveal a specific dimension of the city's inner life that may not have been so obvious to the reader. The arrangement is by theme, and before you get to the articles there are 74 pages of practical information that is, frankly, a lot better than what you find in some guide books, and it is all arranged alphabetically from accommodations to yellow pages. If you like having books with heart and soul (and maybe some wine and cheese) in your personal library, don't miss this one.

This is an awesome piece of work, Kerper's "work" mainly being knowing travel writing inside and out and collecting writing and essays from many different sources. I love her friendly, down-to-earth style, and many of the articles make me laugh out loud. The bibliographies and references are annotated, which means she's read everything and can direct the reader to other sources with aplomb and expertise. The only thing that would make this book better is if it were hard-bound, to keep forever because I am sure I will have to replace mine at some point due to wear and tear. The content is superb. It is not a book to guide you on a quick, 3 - 4 star meal/hotel/see-the-sights sort of trip. Rather, it provides resources and insights from many different people's perspectives. Culling the best from everything she came across while planning a trip, the reader is left with a concise scrapbook of travel to the City of Light.

Along side my reading, I've started my own scrapbook, so that I can better know this thrilling and romantic city and be more prepared when I arrive, (unlike the first time, when I didn't know how to behave or communicate all all.)

Highly recommended.

I really love this book and am reading it right now in preparation for my trip to Paris in a few weeks. I like the fact that it tells so much more than where to eat and what to see. It describes the culture of Paris through stories. I wish there was a book like this for every part of the world.

Enjoy!

This is not a book to take with you on your travels, read it before you go to get what you can out it, there is not enough in the articles to warrant carrying them with you. The format of this book is a collection of 55 different magazine articles that Ms Kerper has clipped, saved, and now grouped by subject. There are also 60 pages of the standard advice for travellers, and 66 pages of small type book reviews by Kerper interspersed throughout the book.
I was expecting better writing, or more useful information. A couple of the articles were quite good, one on French carosuels, and one on the French National Memory, to cite two of them. But after 614 pages of reading, the moral is that magazine articles are meant for the magazine format, not books. I would check this out of your library before spending the money. I think for some people this book would be right on the mark; for you it may be a 2 star or a 5 star.

This book is an absolute treasure trove.

Whether you are an armchair traveller, a seasoned sojourner, or wistfully wishing for a season in Paris, then this is THE Paris book. It is the best place to start when planning a trip, and would be an essential companion for dipping in and out of whilst in Paris.

I must admit to being a bit of a factoid-monger myself, and Ms Keppner's disarmingly honest account of her own proclivities (even to the extent that her husband must make sure his friend is in Paris when they travel together because Barrie drives him a bit nuts!!!) is really nice.

The bibliographies after each section are fantastic and will provide a rich diet (and many library visits!). I let Ms Keppner help me choose the next guide books. Her reviews of general guide books are most helpful, and so far have accorded with my preferences in all but one case.

Highly recommended.