The Golden Moments of Paris

March 1, 2014

Few locales and epochs sound more intriguing than Paris, France, in the sizzling 1920s. Baxter (We'll Always Have Paris: Sex and Love in the City of Light; The Most Beautiful Walk in the World: A Pedestrian in Paris; Chronicles of Old Paris) crafted 25 compelling stories that evoke les annes folles, or "crazy years" when American expatriates flocked to the City of Light to partake in romance, recreational drugs, and gender-bending fashions, while rubbing elbows with luminaries from the art world. Larger-than-life and unconventional characters include author and art connoisseur Gertrude Stein, artist Pablo Picasso, ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, photographer Man Ray, writers F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, jazz singer Ada "Bricktop" Smith, poet Ezra Pound, and many others. This richly illustrated and beautifully formatted work also includes four walking tours of the Seine Left Bank, the path of Ernest Hemingway from the Latin Quarter and beyond, Montparnasse, and Trocadero. Francophiles and libertines alike will savor this book as they explore Paris and walk in the footsteps of so many notable and talented individuals. The index and detailed table of contents assist with finding specific information. VERDICT For larger travel collections and readers who enjoy lesser-known details of a particular travel destination.--Elizabeth Connor, Daniel Lib., The Citadel, Military Coll. of South Carolina, Charleston

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