Paris is a Woman's Town

by Helen Josephy, Mary Margaret McBride

"Paris is every woman's dream city, but once she gets there, the average woman on her first trip is abashed and even frightened by the unfamiliar language and scenes about her. In this book the authors have made an effort to tell the woman going to Paris the best and most convenient way to find a place to live, to shop for clothes and gifts, to have a good time, and even to increase her store of knowledge if she be so disposed in such a gay city. Here you will also learn where the leading movie actresses and stage favorites shop and why; where society wines and dines; how to get a job if you go there to work; and last but not least, how to enjoy Paris night life if you find yourself there alone and unescorted. The addresses and references given have been carefully checked and rechecked so that they are of real value.
Both Miss Josephy and Miss McBride are well-known newspaper women, and have been feature writers for newspapers and magazines both here and abroad. Miss McBride is the author of two books -- JAZZ and CHARM."
(from the book jacket)

299 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1929

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lively travel guide for women to 1920s Paris by two American women who came to know the city well during those years. This book is written by women for women and you get to see a very different view of the city than in the books written by men. You are advised on how to go about your shopping trips to the fashion houses of the city. The best way to gain entry to them and how to find useful guides.

The book is careful to outline traps visitors unfamiliar with the city can fall into and how much you can reasonably expect to do in a day. This is not a guide to the sights of the city. You won't find a guide to the Louvre or other historical sights that are covered in many other guide books. Instead you'll find out the best times of day to go sightseeing, the best and most fashionable places to eat. The places to stay that are fashionable and the ones where you can actually mix with the French to improve your french language. It also gives a guide to expatriate libraries, clubs and restaurants for the homesick. I've read a few guides to Paris in the 1920s now and I would have to say that in many ways this book gave the most enjoyable and interesting description of life in the city for both visitors and the local French that I have read so far.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in the gushing gossipy style of the 20s newspapers, before The Crash, this is a guide to shopping, living and even working in Paris. Aimed at middle and upper class American women, it is unintentionally humorous at times, but it can be tedious. The intended humor is funny, and over all the book is what the authors would probably have called "a hoot". I skimmed the parts I found dull, like the lists of who lived where, but as a whole it was worth tracking down.