Provence: The Collected Traveler: An Inspired Anthology & Travel Resource [Paperback]

Barrie Kerper (Compiler)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 27, 2001 | Series: The Collected Traveler

A NEW SERIES DESIGNED FOR TRAVELERS WHO WANT MORE THAN A GUIDEBOOK Each edition of this unique series marries a collection of previously published essays with detailed practical information, creating a colorful and deeply absorbing pastiche of opinions and advice. Each book is a valuable resource-a compass of sorts-pointing vacationers, business travelers, and readers in many directions. Going abroad with a Collected Traveler edition is like being accompanied by a group of savvy and observant friends who are intimately familiar with your destination.

THIS EDITION ON PROVENCE, the cote d'Azur, and monaco FEATURES:
* Distinguished writers, such as Peter Mayle, Mary Cantwell, Alexandra Foges, Patricia Wells, Herbert Gold, Lorraine Alexander, Gully Wells,Linda Dannenberg, Randall Rothenberg, Cary Marriott, Cara De Silva, Jeffrey Robinson, Frank Prial, and Judith Thurman, who share seductive pieces on Provence's Roman influence, the unsung glories of Marseille, the region's beaches, gardens, and wine, and Aix-en-Provence's famous almond calissons.

*Annotated bibliographies for each section with recommendations for related readings.

*An A-Z "renseignements pratiques" (practical information) section covering everything from accommodations, tipping, and parler pointu to cafes, film, hiking, and le soleil.

Whether it's your first trip or your tenth, the Collected Traveler books are indispensable, and meant to be the first volumes you turn to when planning your journeys.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Kerper's obsessive article clipping has resulted in this latest addition to the "Collected Traveler" series. (The previous two titles include guide to Paris and Central Italy.) The bulk of this guide consists of reprints on the south of France by, among others, Peter Mayle, Frank Prial, and Jeffrey Robinson, that originally appeared in the New York Times, Gourmet, Traveler, and other publications. Kerper, an ardent traveler who worked for the travel book division of the original Banana Republic, starts off with a quirky A-Z section on practical advice. In the "Accommodations" section, she provides a good overview of available restaurants and hotels but does not include specific recommendations. She also limits the necessary advice on fishing to three brief lines while including some pointless entries ("le bisou," the kiss) or filing other entries under the French (markets are found under "march s"). All in all, the essays make for inspiring reading and are worth the price of the book. However, they suffer from an indecipherable format and a serious lack of practical tourist information. For larger public libraries only.DLinda M. Kaufmann, Massachusetts Coll. of Liberal Arts Lib., North Adams
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

A NEW SERIES DESIGNED FOR TRAVELERS WHO WANT MORE THAN A GUIDEBOOK Each edition of this unique series marries a collection of previously published essays with detailed practical information, creating a colorful and deeply absorbing pastiche of opinions and advice. Each book is a valuable resource-a compass of sorts-pointing vacationers, business travelers, and readers in many directions. Going abroad with a Collected Traveler edition is like being accompanied by a group of savvy and observant friends who are intimately familiar with your destination.

THIS EDITION ON PROVENCE, the cote d'Azur, and monaco FEATURES:
* Distinguished writers, such as Peter Mayle, Mary Cantwell, Alexandra Foges, Patricia Wells, Herbert Gold, Lorraine Alexander, Gully Wells,Linda Dannenberg, Randall Rothenberg, Cary Marriott, Cara De Silva, Jeffrey Robinson, Frank Prial, and Judith Thurman, who share seductive pieces on Provence's Roman influence, the unsung glories of Marseille, the region's beaches, gardens, and wine, and Aix-en-Provence's famous almond calissons.

*Annotated bibliographies for each section with recommendations for related readings.

*An A-Z "renseignements pratiques" (practical information) section covering everything from accommodations, tipping, and parler pointu to cafes, film, hiking, and le soleil.

Whether it's your first trip or your tenth, the Collected Traveler books are indispensable, and meant to be the first volumes you turn to when planning your journeys.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 592 pages
• Publisher: Fodor's; 1st edition (March 27, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609806785
• ISBN-13: 978-0609806784
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #571,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Experiencing Provence beyond the travel guides., September 11, 2005

By 

G. Merritt (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Provence: The Collected Traveler: An Inspired Anthology & Travel Resource (Paperback)

The seductive south of France is synonymous with lavender fields, open-air flower markets, jasmine, olive oil, gorgeous sunsets, wine, pastel houses,topless starlets on the beach, and grande cuisine like boullabaisse, socca, ratatouille, and almond calissons. Provence and the Cote d"Azure have attracted painters like Matisse, Cezanne and Picasso, writers like Colette and Peter Mayle, royalty like Prince Rainier and Princess Grace, and celebrities like Brigitte Bardotte and Johnny Depp, and it is no surprise that the south of France is also a popular travel destination. If you're looking for a Provence guidebook with detailed maps, tours, recommended hotels and restauraunts, museum hours and prices, skip this book and read Rick Steve's trusted travel guide instead. But if you're curious why "the red tile roofs, the heartbraking blue of water, the sun across mountains, the changes into evening twilight . . . can still turn a banker into a painter" (pp. 255-56) in Provence, read Barrie Kerper's anthology. It encourages readers to experience the south of France on their own, and immerse themselves in Provence and the Cote d'Azur beyond the pages of other best-selling travel guides. Contributors include Peter Mayle, Mary Cantwell, Alexandra Foges, Patricia Wells, Herbert Gold, Lorraine Alexander, Gully Wells,Linda Dannenberg, Randall Rothenberg, Cary Marriott, Cara De Silva, Jeffrey Robinson, Frank Prial, and Judith Thurman.

G. Merritt

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a wonderful approach!, October 26, 2001

By 

R.C. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Provence: The Collected Traveler: An Inspired Anthology & Travel Resource (Paperback)

I love the approach this author has taken with the Collected Traveler. It offers so much more depth as additional reading and background than the traditional travel guides.

I really appreciate the amount of thoughtful recommendations for web-sites, travel companies, other books and commentaries that this book includes.

5.0 out of 5 stars great book for before or after your trip, November 20, 2009

By 

R. Phillips (Kingsport, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Provence: The Collected Traveler: An Inspired Anthology & Travel Resource (Paperback)

wonderful book to plan with and soak up information about the culture and people of the region