Paris

Mr. Buchwald's book is heartwarming. His narrative focuses on what is truly important in life: people's feelings. Whenever I need a lift, I open this book's pages. I remember what really counts to me, and who I really am. I strongly recommend this book to everyone.

Ce livre écrit et dessiné par Alphand constitue une base indispensable pour l'apréhension des espaces ouverts dessinés au 19ème siècle à Paris.

This is a superb book that can be highly recommended for everyone interested in Latin American literature, the sociology of literature in general, creativity and the lives of writers. Author Jason Weiss writes clearly and has complete command of all the relevant primary and secondary literature. The book is valuable because it fills an important gap in literary scholarship by analysing in detail the enormous importance of Paris for the whole phenomenon of Latin American literature. Knowledge of the role of Paris in the lives of these writers is essential for any reader's understanding of their works. Mr. Weiss provides the historical background by discussing the changing perception of Paris throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He then discusses in roughly chronological order the Parisian experiences of about two dozen important writers from Rubén Darío to Hector Bianciotti. In the context of each life, he discusses the reasons, personal and often political, that brought the person to Paris, how they lived, whom they knew and how they worked. The book is, however, much more than a mere collection of biographical sketches; the discussion is enriched by intelligent literary criticism that shows how the Parisian experience became a lens through which these writers saw the Latin American world that is the subject of so many of their works. The book is also valuable because of its excellent discussion of the broader topic of writers in exile or at least living abroad and writing of home, and sometimes even writing in a new language. Finally, throughout the book Mr. Weiss never forgets to examine the reception of Latin American literature in France.

This is a fascinating account of musical life in Paris between 1750 and 1850. Although Johnson is trying to discover why opera audiences became silent during this period, he has a lot more than just silence on his mind. The book explores the decline of aristocratic control over music and its take-over by bourgeois audiences; it also traces how music moved from being a cerebral experience to an emotional one. Johnson writes extremely well, and knows how to pick appropriate and witty anecdotes to keep the text moving along. This is one of the few books that both academic scholars and ordinary readers should be able to appreciate and enjoy; it is easily one of the best books on music history to come along in years, and fun to read as well.

This book has wonderful large-size reproductions of paintings by the Academic masters of 19th century France and their Ameriican pupils. All these artists were once lionized and collected by all the leading connoiseurs of the day, but were consigned to oblivion by modernism and modernist critics. The technical ability of all these artists is staggering, and the imagery is often striking. This is more than just an interesting part of America's artistic past - a painting like John Vanderlyn's Marius is so powerful you will not forget it. In addition, everything by Gerome is striking. (As a postscript, people who enjoy these works should visit the Dahest Museum in New York City)

In Madame Melville a man recalls the night he spent in Paris with his English teacher when he was sixteen years old. He is enthralled by her worldly wisdom and she is very lonely. The interaction between the innocent youth and the mature woman are wonderfully portrayed.

In The General From America Nelson explores the inner thoughts and external pressures that caused the most famous act of treason in US history. Benedict Arnold, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington, as well as Arnold's wife Peggy and his sister Hannah are all excellently developed characters.

Both these plays are a joy to read and captivating.

These Maigret stories are full cast productions by the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) from the mid-1970's. Dramatized by Frederick Spoerly, " Maigret and the Reluctant Witness" also includes "Maigret Hesitates" and "Maigret in Society." Fans of Georges Simenon's Chief Inspector Maigret can join Maigret aided by Sgt. Lukor and Inspector LaPlant as he conducts his investigation. Enjoyable listening from a world famous mystery writer.

The setting is Paris in the 1930's. A starving Czech medical student nurses his coffee and eats his yogurt in a fashionable Montmartre bar. A popular American socialite goes about his glamorous life unaware that the quiet man in the corner is planning his destruction. Enter Inspector Maigret, the taciturn and brilliant detective. Soon the high strung medical student and the deep thinking Maigret are engaged in a war of nerves.

There is just something special about Paris during the interwar years. It is a deep well from which many of the worlds great espionage and mystery writers have drawn. What makes Goerges Simenon's Maigret so special is that he is a contemporary. Maigret's Paris and the criminal world which he inhabits are drawn from Simenon's direct on the spot experience and not from the history books.

As with most Mapeasy maps, this one is great in helping you find not only the streets, but the stores, the restaurants, the hotels and other worthy places.

Granted, it may not have the most detail when it comes to little streets and alleys, but it will get you where you need to go.

Marville, who began his career as a printmaker specializing in landscapes, initially took up photography as an aid to his art. This volume collects his photographs of Paris, mostly taken during the 1870s, between two covers. Sections cover monuments, utilities (street lights, etc.), and street scenes. Marville photographed Paris while the planning reforms of Hausmann were pushing the wide boulevards for which the city is well known, through districts that had not changed for centuries. His photographs show the texture of the built environment, the effects of change, the material basis of economic life, as well as some of the effects of the supression of the Paris Commune. Few of the photographs show people; his intention was to document settings, rather than inhabitants. Readers should be aware that what little text there is in this volume is in French. In addition, the covers are not well attached to the pages, and mine had come loose prior to my purchasing the book. Otherwise, it is well bound. I Highly recommend this book to those with an interest in photography, architacture, or Paris. It is well worth the price.