Paris

In Down and Out in Paris and London, George Orwell, otherwise known as Eric Blair, introduces his readers to a compelling tale that loosely retraces his own life during the time he spent in Paris and London in the thirties. In this semi-autobiographical chronicle, he records the hardships that he faced as a Parisian "plongeur" (a restaurant worker at the very bottom of the industry's hierarchy) and as a voluntary "tramp" in London. Clearly, Orwell's account is a very personal one; however, it resonates the destitution of so many others who were equally unfortunate to have been the victims of the post-war social reform failure and the subsequent Great Depression that descended upon the world in the late nineteen twenties and thirties.
The author focuses on France and Britain in particular because these two countries, magnificent superpowers of the past, have abandoned their poor in order to pursue different agendas in terms of their political policy. During this era, France was much concerned with securing its borders with Germany. This was a reaction to the Great War, during which France suffered great losses in every aspect. Although Britain was not faced with similar issues as France, it struggled with its political instability that arose in the light of the economic hardship of the Great Depression. Orwell acknowledges the differences between the two countries but insists on the recurring similarities in the treatment of the lowest social class. In his account, Orwell presents several important issues that would most likely be overlooked or altogether unknown to those outside the lower social order that Orwell describes. He points out the invisibility of the lower classes, forgotten or made forgotten by those for whom hardship of this kind was unknown, the abhorrent conditions in which existence had to be made possible, and the practically inevitable maintenance of the same class order throughout their entire life. The presentation of these three main issues highlights Orwell's repudiation of respectable democratic society and outlines his disdain for this ideology that he believed to be a failure.

Don't let this book's low cost decieve you, this was a great help to me when I had to do a research paper over the tour. VERY INFORMATIVE!!!

This isn't the best collection of Atget's work, but it was a great buy at the price, I thought, and the reproductions (in my copy at least) are decent. Anyone interested in history might also find it interesting to see what Paris looked like in Atget's day.

This little guide is perfect for a weekend stroll in one of the world's most beautiful cities. Designed for travelers with a couple days to spare, it shows you the highlights through walking tours. A small map is included, providing a quick overview of Paris's layout. The city is broken down into districts (ie. the Left Bank, Bastille, & Le Marais) with a selection of restaurants, stores, and attractions for each one. All in all, a good deal. One note of caution however: this guide is the same size as a credit card, but the covers are magnets. So don't put this near any of your credit cards or computer disks. It could do a number on your Visa!

The account of an English foreign correspondent lving and working in Paris in the 1960s. The writing and insight of the times. events and atmosphere is absorbing.

Lennon's vivid portrayal of how Paris worked (and I guess still does) particuarly its intelectual and artistic vitality ring true is entertaining throughout.

I had to read this book for my history studies, and I thought it would like most of the others history books I must have to red:boring! But this one isn't like the others:it's interesting,even passionating,sometimes funny! In one word,it's a really good book!

I used this book in 1996 and it was great I just wish that it would be updated more often.

nice art book
contains a significant body of the author's work and someinteresting influencial peices of art and photographs that influenced gauguin

Reidhead wonderfully shows that getting saved is not simply saying "uh-huh" to basic doctrinal questions. He exposes the plague that has come upon evangelical christianity.

This book is full of lush photgraphs of Givenchy's clothes and homes. There is less written about his fashion designs than I hoped there would be. However, if you are interested in his beautiful homes and gardens this is the perfect book.