Paris

May 15, 2011

Kerper, author of eight previous volumes in the "Collected Traveler" series, has gathered together a unique collection of writings suitable for anyone planning an extended visit to Paris. Interviews with cookbook authors Ina Garten and Patricia Wells keep company with essays by Stacey Schiff, Rosamond Bernier, and other contemporary writers, whose subjects include the Paris of Proust, the Dreyfus affair, and their own tales of living in this multifaceted city. Interspersed are recommended books (with annotations), restaurants, shops, museums, and hotels and numerous short pieces by Kerper on her particular Parisian favorites. The somewhat idiosyncratic organization of the chapters begs for an index, and the small, unlabeled black-and-white photographs seem incidental. VERDICT This miscellany, while a little large for packing, is a pleasure to dip into again and again and makes for engrossing reading for all travelers, armchair and otherwise. Libraries that own the previous, 2000 edition will want to purchase this update; much new, enjoyable content has been added.--Linda M. Kaufmann, Massachusetts Coll. of Liberal Arts, North Adams

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