Customer Reviews

Paris Photos ~ Paris Walks (First Edition)

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To say you know exactly what it is about Paris is to say you know exactly what it is about love. Parisian scenes evoke everything you've ever desired love to be--passionate, curious, waiting, beautiful and alive. And then there is that unexplainable light, beautiful and golden.

Paris Photos ~ Paris Walks by Peter O'Toole reminds us of this mystery in fourteen photographic walks through the City of Light. If one could bottle what Paris feels like, this photographer makes a bold attempt and does so gracefully and with full reverence of his subject. Black and white photographic images and hand-drawn maps illustrate winding paths of various districts of Paris. Each scene is a setting for a fresh croissant, a picnic or a stolen kiss.

Whether you've traveled to Paris countless times or are longing one day to visit, this book guides you down the narrow cobblestone streets and grand boulevards. Walk the footsteps as millions have done over the centuries--as expressed by the lyrical musings of Proust or the lights and darks of Lautrec. This book documents, like tiny souvenirs, the memories one keeps close for a lifetime.

As Hemingway wrote, "There is never any ending to Paris..." It is true that you may not be able to walk the streets of Paris everyday; but you can turn the pages of this book.

More than a decade ago I lived in Paris. Paging through Peter O'Toole's photographs made me feel like it's still right there where I left it.

It's not the iconic shots of familiar streets and landmarks that do it (though the authors deliver on these as well). It's the photographer's keen eye for the quintessentially Parisian moment: a man taking his coffee "au comptoir," a waiter clearing sidewalk tables in Le Marais, Polish women in track suits chatting on a park bench or a timeless sculpture watching over the garden, right there where it has always stood.

"Paris Photos - Paris Walks" captures the true spirit of the city, and it does so without any of the cloying, cliche imagery of old men in berets or children carrying baguettes. O'Toole and his co-authors deliver the real 21st Century Paris.

If you can't get to Paris, page through this book for an afternoon stroll. And if you can, study these routes and get ready to see the Paris Frommer's just can't show you.

My wife and I have never been to Paris; in fact, not to Europe at all. But we have traveled extensively across most of North America, especially the United States and Canada. We particularly like cities, the smells, the flavors, the energy, the excitements. One of our all-time favorite cities in North America is Montreal, especially the Old Town. Peter O'Toole's Paris Photos~Paris Walks reminds us so much of the wonderful times we have had there. The Old Town's cobblestone streets, the nooks and crannies, the atmosphere, the charm, spring back in our minds as we thumb the pages of his beautiful collection of Paris photographs. I'm delighted to own O'Toole's Paris Photos~ Paris Walks, both as a reminder of delightful, romantic times spent in Montreal and, as a reminder to get ourselves to the City of Light... to experience the original.

My partner and I just celebrated our 10th anniversary in Paris this past May. I wish I had known about this book beforehand. The photographs are inspiring and the walks, themselves, feel tailor made. These are the kind of experiences one wishes for when traveling. For anyone who wishes to travel to Paris, take this along. And for those of us who have been, it's a beautiful collection of memories.

Peter J. O'Toole's book (like the city it celebrates) is a beauty. The black and white photographs truly capture the timelessness of Paris while taking the reader on an ephemeral journey. Mr. O'Toole has somehow given each statue, flower, doorway, and road sign the stature of citizen. And the writings, the history, and the maps will certainly come in handy during my next visit! In the meantime, the book makes a fantastic addition to my collection. I also plan on giving it to friends as a wedding present.

If Edith Piaf had bought this book, it's the one thing she might have regretted. The pictures in this walking guide to Paris are all black-and-white, grainy, and often blurry. The black-and-white technique could have been effective, but these pictures are simply uninspired.

Too many of the photos feature scenes that are hardly unique to Paris. There's a big, blurry black cat - a grainy black-and-gray rose - a view looking up into the branches of some trees. When people look at abstract art and say, "My 6-year-old could have done better," they are often just being undiscerning. But they could say the same of these pictures and be right on target. Almost any 6-year-old with a camera could have produced more interesting, evocative pictures of Paris.

The book's suggested walking tours are organized into different neighborhoods or the environs of different Paris landmarks. There are walks for such areas as the "Eiffel Tower," the Latin Quarter," the "Montmartre." Each chapter starts with a sketched street map showing a black line to trace your route. However there isn't enough detail in most of these maps. I attempted the one walk that covered the territory near my Hotel, but got lost for lack of enough labeled streets and because of misleading proportions on the map.

What's more, this book, with its self-important glossy pages, is too large and heavy to carry with you on a tour. I made copies of the maps and commentaries, packed those, and left the actual book behind.

Each map is accompanied by a brief, cut-and-dried description of the sights you can take in as you walk the route. These one or two paragraph commentaries are written in English and French.

You will find directions to and grainy photos of some iconic Paris places here, such as Jim Morrison's headstone in the Pere-Lachaise Cemetery, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Luxembourg Gardens. But this book just doesn't seem worth the price. I'm sure there must be better books of Paris walking tours out there.