Quiet Corners of Paris [Hardcover]

Jean-Christophe Napias (Author), Christophe Lefebure (Photographer), David Downie (Translator)

Book Description

Release date: October 23, 2007

More than eighty of the loveliest, most tranquil, and sometimes hidden places in Paris are celebrated in this charming guidebook

Quiet Corners of Paris is a beautifully illustrated peek into eighty-one often overlooked, always beautiful, locales: hidden villas, winding lanes, little-known 19th-century passages, serene gardens, and cobblestone courtyards. Some of the places have breathtaking views, others are filled with historic and architectural details, from stone archways, garden follies, boxwood mazes, ornamental statuary, stained glass, and Renaissance fountains. Follow a stone path under a trellis of blossoms or wander through a gate to discoverÉ

Editorial Reviews

Review

“To discover lesser-known quarters of the City of Light, consult Quiet Corners of Paris... This illustrated handbook takes you to often-overlooked parts of the city: its hidden villas, winding lanes, cobblestone courtyards and Renaissance fountains.” –Frank Wagner, Copley News Service

"Yes, noisy, bustling Paris has its quiet corners, and this attractive book describes them in loving detail. Most of the places mentioned here are out of doors and open to the public. The places range from museum courtyards and royal gardens to 15th Century cloisters and tiny passageways to the back streets and lanes of the various neighborhoods. Some famous sites are here (Luxembourg Gardens) but so are unknown treasures such as the Irish Cultural Center, housed in a townhouse used by the Irish Catholic collegiate community since 1775, or Paris' lesser-known islands. And few places are as quiet as the city's evocative cemeteries." -The Chicago Tribune

"Many tour books promise to deliver “secrets” and never do. This one does. Many times...More than 80 suggestions. All very high on my list of “musts” the next time I find myself in Paris with a good book, a fresh cigar, a few hours to kill--and no desire to be anywhere near the Mona Lisa." -Headbutler

"This small new York publisher is producing some of the most innovative, beautiful and rewarding guidebooks on the market." –Minneapolis Star Tribune

"The Little Bookroom...wants travelers to slow down. They've carved themselves a niche in the over-crowded travel book industry by thinking small with titles that define the character of a city." –The Pittsburgh Tribune

"For pocket-sized, covetable books, turn to The Little Bookroom." –Vogue [UK]

About the Author

Jean-Christophe Napias lives in Paris with his wife and two sons. Author, editor, journalist, and translator, he has created with his wife a series of guides to Paris, Paris est à Nous, which has more than seventy titles. He lives in the hip and lively Bastille neighborhood of Paris, and dreams of one day moving to a house with a large garden. Until then, he looks for tranquility and nature wherever he can.

Christophe Lefébure, a graduate of the Institut d’études politiques de Paris with a master’s degree in history, combines the qualities of a writer with those of a photographer. His principal subject of study is rural life, it’s customs and traditions. For several years now, he has expanded his research to Paris. His first work, La France des lavoirs received the Grand Prix Littéraire du Tourisme.

David Downie is the author of Cooking the Roman Way, Irreverent Guide to Amsterdam, and Enchanted Liguria. His travel, food and arts features have appeared in over fifty magazines and newspapers worldwide, including Gourmet, Bon Appétit, Gastronomica, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, and Town & Country Travel.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Little Bookroom; Tra edition (October 23, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892145502
• ISBN-13: 978-1892145505
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.7 x 6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #109,095 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #43 in Books > Travel > Pictorial

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

260 of 264 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars a book that will surprise even the veteran traveler to Paris October 25, 2007

By Jesse Kornbluth TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

For many travelers, Paris is Parisland. Here's the Eiffel Tower. Let's take a boat ride along the Seine. Ah, the Champs Elysees. Five museums on the list --- let's whip through them. And, late at night, we've got to find that nightclub where the girls kick up their ...heels.

Others --- that's my brood and me --- go to Paris for the quiet. We sit in cafes for hours. We settle on park benches. We take long walks on nearly empty streets. It's still Parisland, just another kind: an open-air library, a set for dreaming, an urban pillow for outdoor naps.

It's hard to imagine that a book called "Quiet Corners of Paris" would be a shocker, but this sometime Parisian was shocked --- and thrilled --- by what's in these pages. Many tour books promise to deliver "secrets" and never do. This one does. Many times.

Its secret: It does not stick to the four or five arrondissements where tourists congregate. Instead, it draws on the entire city --- and thus challenges you to leave your literal "comfort zone" and get out to neighborhoods where real Parisians can be found. And more: really quiet zones: villas, gardens, courtyards, fountains and passages.

The book is ordered by arrondissement, which means you start with the familiar. In the 1st arrondissement, we find the courtyard of the Louvre (check!), the Galerie Vero-Dodat (gotcha!), the garden of the Palais-Royal (good times!) and the Place Dauphine (been to almost every restaurant there!). But no sooner have we hit the 3rd arrondissement than the unknown intrudes: the Saint-Gilles-Grand-Veneur garden, Karsten Greve's art gallery, the Billettes Cloister. Oh, the time I could have frittered away in those beautiful settings.

I was charmed by the garden of a daycare center in the 4th. Busy and noisy? Not on weekends. I knew nothing of a library that specializes in the decorative arts; it's in a lovely mansion and has a tranquil garden. The Irish Cultural Center: how crowded might that be? And it's nice to know that the Hotel des Grandes Ecoles not only has a "flower-filled, tree-studded" garden, it's also "modestly" priced.

Have you visited the Arena of Lutece, the city's largest Gallo-Roman ruin? I haven't. And while I love obscure museums, the mansion dedicated to Delacroix eluded me. As did the garden of the French Lutheran Church in the 7th. And the rowboats you can rent at the bois de Vincennes in the 12th.

The further from Parisland, the bigger the surprises. I want to visit the Cité des Arts, in the 14th, where "the creme of the modern art world" lived. The "tract" homes of the Villa Santos-Dumont in the 15th are a welcome walk through time into Modernism's best representatives. I could easily spend an hour watching men play pétanque at the Square Blomet in the 15th. A Buddhist garden and Balzac's house in the 16th --- there's a reason to take the Métro.

More than 80 suggestions. All very high on my list of "musts" the next time I find myself in Paris with a good book, a fresh cigar, a few hours to kill --- and no desire to be anywhere near the Mona Lisa.

67 of 67 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What A Beautiful Little Book! December 17, 2007

By D. Evon

Format:Hardcover

I will keep my review uncomplicated, like this book. There is a lot of information packed into this little book. Instead of focusing on the usual tourist sights, the author points out some of the beautiful, quaint parks, gardens and museums. The book also shows other out of the way places that the usual travel books don't. With the exception of 1 site (Musee Eugene Delacroix), all the sights shown are free to the public. If you are going to visit Paris, this is a great little guide book when searching for different places to see. If you want to go to Paris some day, this is a great book to dream by. It's packed with beautiful pictures. I just loved it!

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Some Paris gems February 23, 2008

By A. Conley

Format:Hardcover

This is a sweet little book. I wish I'd had it when I lived in Paris. It reveals many wonderful quiet spots, places for picnics and contemplation, and peace in that busy city. As a tourist to Paris, you probably won't value it as much--you'll want to be out in the busy, soaking it all up. But for anyone who lives in Paris, or is going to spend a long time there, I'd recommend it. And for those of us who just like to read about Paris, in between visits, it's a great book, well written and warm.