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Paris
John Russell's 'Paris' is an elegant and erudite tour of the city-its character, its neighborhoods, its institutions-by a guide who knows its places & pleasures intimately.
Beginning with the Louvre, and progressing slowly outward to the borders of the Ile de France, Russell ambles along the boulevards & streets of past and present Paris, stopping here at one noble town house to eavesdrop on Zola & Turgenev, there to hear the 8-yr-old Mozart at the piano astounding his hosts. He smoothly evokes 300 years of social climbing, lavish living, romantic intrigue, artistic ambition, and intellectual achievement.
'Paris' honors excellence in all things, from painting to conversation, but it is equally about a living city.
The book is illustrated throughout with more than 310 paintings, pastels, drawings & photographs.
1) Intro 2) Parisian and Parisienne 3) The Louvre 4) The Grands Boulevards 5) Du Cote de Saint-Honore 6) The Marais 7) The Paris of the First Empire 8) Revolutionary The Faubourg St.-Antoine 9) The Palais Royal 10) The Comedie-Francaise 11) The Case of Haussmann 12) The River & the Islands 13) The 7th Arrondissement 14) 6th Arrondissement 15) 5th Arrondissement 16) The Ile de France
Beginning with the Louvre, and progressing slowly outward to the borders of the Ile de France, Russell ambles along the boulevards & streets of past and present Paris, stopping here at one noble town house to eavesdrop on Zola & Turgenev, there to hear the 8-yr-old Mozart at the piano astounding his hosts. He smoothly evokes 300 years of social climbing, lavish living, romantic intrigue, artistic ambition, and intellectual achievement.
'Paris' honors excellence in all things, from painting to conversation, but it is equally about a living city.
The book is illustrated throughout with more than 310 paintings, pastels, drawings & photographs.
1) Intro 2) Parisian and Parisienne 3) The Louvre 4) The Grands Boulevards 5) Du Cote de Saint-Honore 6) The Marais 7) The Paris of the First Empire 8) Revolutionary The Faubourg St.-Antoine 9) The Palais Royal 10) The Comedie-Francaise 11) The Case of Haussmann 12) The River & the Islands 13) The 7th Arrondissement 14) 6th Arrondissement 15) 5th Arrondissement 16) The Ile de France
350 pages, Hardcover
First published April 25, 1960
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About the author
John Russell
37 books3 followersJohn Russell CBE (22 January 1919 – 23 August 2008) was an English art critic and journalist.
He started his career at the Tate Gallery in 1940, but moved to the country after the gallery was bombed during World War II.
He worked in Naval Intelligence for the Admiralty where he met author Ian Fleming, who helped to secure Russell a reviewing position at The Sunday Times in 1950.
Russell was chief art critic at the New York Times from 1982 to 1990.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
He started his career at the Tate Gallery in 1940, but moved to the country after the gallery was bombed during World War II.
He worked in Naval Intelligence for the Admiralty where he met author Ian Fleming, who helped to secure Russell a reviewing position at The Sunday Times in 1950.
Russell was chief art critic at the New York Times from 1982 to 1990.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 26, 2009
I am returning this book to the library today without having read it all. Russell writes about Paris at a different time, but it is recent enough to be interesting to me as I consider new places to explore on my next trip. I just read his chapters on the 5th and 6th - it amazes me how many places exist in one small area of a city that a traveler might never see, even after wandering through that district numerous time.
I especiallly enjoyed his comments on a painting by Balthus - The Street, which is owned by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It depicts an area in the 6th near rue Buci that I know well.
The last chapter of this book talks about villages in l'Ile de France that were used extensively by painters.
Oh to be in Paris!
I especiallly enjoyed his comments on a painting by Balthus - The Street, which is owned by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It depicts an area in the 6th near rue Buci that I know well.
The last chapter of this book talks about villages in l'Ile de France that were used extensively by painters.
Oh to be in Paris!
September 2, 2010
Interesting comprehensive book on Paris.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews