Books about Paris

This is not a definitive list of material about Paris; I'll be adding to it regularly. Nor does it concentrate strictly on the city; there is much here covering notable lives lived within the city, and their consequential observations and interaction (a good example would be The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas). Originally, my motivation for compiling this collection was to provide a simple reference for my own interest, but I'm hoping that it may be of interest to others gathering 'Paris' reading material as well.  Additional titles and/or suggestions would be welcomed too. Drop me a line!

Each title shown has a link to the retail location where it was found online. Even though I'm located in Canada, I've mostly linked to Amazon.com in the U.S. unless the book is only available elsewhere. If you consider buying a copy, you'll want to shop around - if the indicated source isn't convenient for you. Why do I link predominately to the American site? Well, it's usually rich in customer reviews for any given title, and  if you're considering a purchase, you'll  likely find these readers' opinions helpful. But please remember, this is a reference guide - not an enticement to do business with any one company.

One more thing: I do not sell books and I don't receive a commission from any of the booksellers to which a link may carry you. It'd be nice I suppose, but right now my excitement and passion for Paris propels me to do anything that will induce others to feel the same. Enjoy!

• Almost French: A New Life in Paris. Paperback. 304 pages. Author: Sarah Turnbull. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Around and About Paris, Volume 1: From the Dawn of Time to the Eiffel Tower (Arrondissements 1 - 7). Paperback. 310 pages. Author: Thirza Vallois
• Around and About Paris, Vol. 2: From the Guillotine to the Bastille Opera (Arrondissements 8 -12). Paperback. 228 pages. Author: Thirza Vallois 
• Around and About Paris, Volume 3: New Horizons: Haussmann's Annexation (Arrondissements 13 - 20). Paperback. 315 pages. Author: Thirza Vallois
• The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas. Paperback. 252 pages. Author: Gertrude Stein. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Being Geniuses Together, 1920-1930. Paperback. 374 pages. Authors: Professor Robert McAlmon and Professor Kay Boyle. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Bohemian Paris. Subtitled Culture, Politics, and the Boundaries of Bourgeois Life, 1830-1930. Paperback. 448 pages. Author: Dan Franck. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Bohemian Paris. Subtitled Picasso, Modigliani, Matisse, and the Birth Of Modern Art. Paperback. 464 pages. Author: Jerrold Seigel. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• A Corner in the Marais. Subtitled Memoir of a Paris Neighborhood. Paperback. 149 pages. Author: Alex Karmel. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Dawn of the Belle Epoque: The Paris of Monet, Zola, Bernhardt, Eiffel, Debussy, Clemenceau and Their Friends. Hardcover. 400 pages. Author: Mary McAuliffe. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• An Englishman in Paris: L'education Continentale. Paperback. 208 pages. Author: Michael Sadler. Amazon.com (U.S.) This is an entertaining and funny read! My copy has long been lost, but I recall getting quite wrapped up in the author's Parisian education in cheese, wine, women, apartments, language, cuisine and more - all related in an adventurous and often mischievous tone.
• Five Hundred Buildings of Paris. Paperback. 608 pages. Author: Kathy Borrus. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• The Flaneur. Subtitled A Stroll Through the Paradoxes of Paris. Paperback. 224 pages. Author: Edmund White. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• French Toast: An American in Paris Celebrates the Maddening Mysteries of the French. Paperback. 224 pages. Author: Harriet Welty Rocheforte. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris. Hardcover. 576 pages. Author: David McCullough. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Haussmann: His Life and Times and the Making of Modern Paris. Hardcover. 512 pages. Author: Patrick Camiller & Michel Carmona. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Historic Photos of Paris. Hardcover. 216 pages. Author: Rebecca Schall. Amazon.com (U.S.) ...and the pictures are in absolutely stunning black and white folks!
• The Illustrated History of Paris and the Parisians. Hardcover. 292 pages. Author: Robert Laffont. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Into a Paris Quartier. Hardcover. 204 pages. Author: Diane Johnson. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• The Invention of Paris. Subtitled A History Told in Footsteps. Paperback. 400 pages. Author: Eric Hazan. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• The Judgement of Paris. Subtitled The Revolutionary Decade that Gave the World Impressionism. Paperback. 464 pages. Author: Ross King. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Literary Cafés of Paris. Paperback. 80 pages. Author: Noel Riley Fitch. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Literary Paris: A Guide. Hardcover. 220 pages. Author: Jessica Powell. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• A Literary Paris: Hemingway, Colette, Sedaris, and Others on the Uncommon Lure of the City of Light. Hardcover. 192 pages. Edited by Jamie Cox Robertson. A collection of vignettes and sketches containing Parisian references or influence - taken from a slew of heavy-hitters' work. For me the passage that makes the book worth buying is an excerpt from Anna Gavalda's 'I wish Someone Were Waiting For Me Somewhere' titled 'Courting Rituals of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés.'
• Living in Paris. Hardcover. 264 pages. Author: José Alvarez. Amazon.com (U.S.) Not so much a memoir or living experience - as the title may suggest - but more a pictorial tour of the city, with some of the best photography I've seen. The author provides plenty of friendly narrative to go along with our jaunt as well!
• The Measure of Paris.  Softcover.  340 pages.  Author: Stephen Scobie. Amazon.ca
• Meet me at Père Lachaise: A guided tour of Père Lachaise Cemetery. Paperback. 102 pages. Author: Anna Erikssön. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Memoirs of Montparnasse. Paperback. 296 pages. Author: John Glassco. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Metrostop Paris. Subtitled History from the City's Heart. Paperback. 256 pages. Author: Gregor Dallas. Amazon.ca (Canada)
• Montmartre and the Making of Mass Culture. Paperback. 320 pages. Editor: Gabriel P. Weisberg. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• The Most Beautiful Walk in the World: A Pedestrian in Paris. Paperback. 320 pages. Author: John Baxter. Amazon.com (U.S.) 
• A Moveable Feast. Paperback. 219 pages. Author: Ernest Hemingway. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• On Paris.  Paperback.  80 pages.  Author: Ernest Hemingway.  Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Paris. Paperback. 160 pages. Author: Julian Green. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Paris: 500 Photos. Paperback. 468 pages. Author: Maurice Subervie & Bertrand Delanoe. Amazon.co.uk
• Paris: A Journey Through Time. Paperback. 224 pages. Author: Leonard Pitt. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Paris And Her Remarkable Women: A Guide. Hardcover. 128 pages. Author: Lorraine Liscio. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Paris by Metro: An Underground History. Paperback. 70 pages. Author: Arnold Delaney. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Paris Café: The Select Crowd. Paperback. 122 pages. Author: Noel Riley Fitch. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Paris Changing: Revisiting Eugene Atget's Paris. Hardcover. 192 pages. Author: Christopher Rauschenberg. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Paris: City of Art (Expanded Edition). Hardcover. 730 pages. Author: Jean-Marie Pérouse de Montclos. Amazon.com (U.S.) Not only paintings are offered up here; art, as represented by the glorious physical structures found in Paris are bountiful as well. The author - a teacher, member of various architectural associations, researcher and doctor of letters - brings you close to a thousand photos to consider, with lots of written supporting material to complement this vast presentation.
• Paris Dreams, Paris Memories: The City and Its Mystique. Paperback. 296 pages. Author: Charles Rearick. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Paris France. Paperback.  144 pages.  Author:  Gertrude Stein.  Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Paris From the Ground Up. Paperback. 352 pages. Author: James H.S. McGregor. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Paris: History, Architecture, Art, Lifestyle, in Detail. Hardcover. 480 pages. Author: Gilles Plazy. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris. Paperback. 476 pages. Author: Graham Robb. Amazon.com (U.S.) The author adds some momentum to dry history by dramatizing key events in Paris' past. Even with chapter headings like 'The Man Who Saved Paris' you needn't worry about sensational pulp; the goods are delivered as described - just as the title suggests!
• Paris in Mind. Paperback. 288 pages. Editor: Jennifer Lee. Amazon.com (U.S.) A collection of excerpts, thoughts and essays by American writers - past and present - detailing their love of Paris.
• Paris Inside Out: The Insider's Handbook to Life in Paris. Paperback. 400 pages. Author: David Applefield. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Paris Insights: An Anthology. Paperback. 154 pages. Author: Tom Reeves. Amazon.com (U.S.) I don't see ratings like this too often on Amazon; every reviewer (to date, nine) awarded this book five stars, and I'll add mine to that. There are many publications offering views of the 'other' Paris, but this one reveals more than a few cultural and historic gems that many others miss. I wish it was longer!
• Paris in the Middle Ages. Paperback. 272 Pages. Author: Simone Roux. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Paris: Memories of Times Past. Hardcover. 176 pages. Author: Solange Hando. Amazon.com (U.S.) This is one of those oft-remaindered coffee table books that you can buy economically anywhere - I paid less than five bucks at Chapters. If you love pictures of old Paris - you should pick it up. All the water colors are done by Mortimer Menpes (b. 1855) but there are plenty of other photos, drawings and historical notes to keep you busy. 
• Paris Metro Tales. Paperback. 256 pages. Author: Helen Constantine. Amazon.com (U.S.) 
• A Paris Moment. Paperback. 224 pages. Author: Gordon Cope. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Paris, Paris: Journey Into the City of Light. Paperback. 320 pages. Author: David Downie. Amazon.com (U.S.) It's very easy to get comfortable with this book. Mr. Downie chooses his subjects - historical sights, seasons, cafés or night walking (and more) - then discusses them with the knowledge gained through many years lived in the city. And his love for Paris easily shines through in this highly informative and friendly read.
• Paris Portraits: Stories of Picasso, Matisse, Gertrude Stein, and Their Circle. Hardcover. 120 pages. Author: Harriet Lane Levy. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Paris: The Biography of a City. Paperback. 592 pages. Author: Colin Jones. Amazon.com (U.S.) 
• Paris Quiz: How Well Do You Know Paris? Paperback. 240 pages. Author: Dominique Lesbros. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Paris Revealed. Subtitled The Secret Life of a City. Paperback. 320 pages. Author: Stephen Clarke. Amazon.ca (Canada)
• Paris Sketchbook. Hardcover.  96 pages.  Author: Mary Kelly.  Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Paris Stories. (New York Review Books Classics) Paperback. 400 pages. Author: Mavis Gallant. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Paris Tales. Paperback. 256 pages. Translator: Helen Constantine. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Paris: The Collected Traveler. Paperback. 752 pages. Edited by: Barrie Kerper. Amazon.com (U.S.) I'd like to add to the many positive reviews you'll see praising this fat little book. Oceans of solid info and history covering just about every facet of contemporary and past life in France and Paris. Cuisine, society, culture, literature, sights, prominent people and more are covered in short extracts and essays by a variety of writers. All the stuff you WANT to know to when you visit!
• Paris: Then and Now. Hardcover. 144 pages. Author: Peter and Oriel Caine. Amazon.ca (Canada) If you've read and enjoyed Leonard Pitt's 'Walks Through Lost Paris' or 'Paris: A Journey Through Time,' you'll feel the same about this similar work; the concept is the same, however a larger format is used. Once again, pictures of sites and addresses from well into Paris' past are compared with current photos of the same location. In this case, each is clearly laid out on full opposing pages and accompanied by short, crisp historical notes.
• Paris to the Moon. Paperback. 368 pages. Author: Adam Gopnik. Amazon.com (U.S.) One of the most-reviewed of the current titles on Paris offered by Amazon. Getting through this was a bit like watching someone else's home movie about their recent vacation while they droned on with an accompanying narrative. Not to say I didn't learn anything, but it came the hard way - for me anyway. Don't avoid checking it out though; the author has much to say.
• Paris Underground. Hardcover. 192 pages. Author: Caroline Archer. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Paris Underground: The Maps, Stations, and Design of the Metro. Paperback. 176 pages. Author: Mark Ovenden. Amazon.com (U.S.) A history of the Paris Metro dating from its inception at the turn of the last century. The photos and transit maps alone would make this an interesting choice, particularly for users of this great system.
• Paris Under Water. Subtitled How the City of Light Survived the Great Flood of 1910. Paperback. 272 pages. Author: Jeffrey H. Jackson. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Paris Was Ours: Thirty-two Writers Reflect on the City of Light. Paperback. 288 pages. Edited by: Penelope Rowlands. Amazon.com (U.S.) Just the book for me! I love listening to others describing important and memorable experiences with the city and the people in it. Whether these contributors were short or long-term visitors - each has a tale to tell. And these recollections of cultural complication, social entanglement, frustration and joy offer an extra measure of support and savvy to our own inventory of awareness - when we return. Very illuminating.
• Permanent Parisians: An Illustrated Guide to the Cemeteries of Paris. Paperback. 230 pages. Author: Judi Culbertson. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• The Place de la Bastile. Subtitled The Story of a Quartier. Hardcover. 224 pages. Author: Keith Reader. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Quiet Corners of Paris. Hardcover. 176 pages. Author: Jean-Christophe Napias and Christophe Lefebure. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Seven Ages of Paris. Paperback. 496 pages. Author: Alistair Horne. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Shakespeare and Company. Paperback. 246 pages. Author: Sylvia Beach. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• The Story of Paris. Paperback. 232 pages. Author: Thomas Okey. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Sylvia Beach and the Lost Generation. Subtitled A History of Literary Paris in the Twenties and Thirties. Paperback. 448 pages. Author: Noel Riley Fitch
• A Traveller's History of Paris. Paperback. 320 pages. Author: Robert Cole. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Walks in Hemingway's Paris. Subtitled A Guide To Paris For The Literary Traveler. Paperback. 208 pages. Author Noel R. Fitch. Amazon.com (U.S.)
• Walks Through Lost Paris: A Journey Into the Heart of Historic Paris. Paperback. 192 pages. Author: Leonard Pitt. Amazon.ca (Canada) A fascinating pictorial look at many streets and buildings in Paris that no longer exist. Photos and drawings - some centuries old - are juxtaposed with current views to highlight the evolution of the cityscape influenced by visionaries like Haussmann and others who followed. Lots of historical notes and passages too!
• The World of the Paris Café. Subtitled Sociability among the French Working Class, 1789-1914. Paperback. 368 pages. Author: W. Scott Haine.
• Writers in Paris: Literary Lives in the City of Light. Paperback. 256 pages. Author: David Burke. Amazon.com (U.S.) Interesting short sketches of many well-known writers' Paris experience, often accompanied with the addressess of many at the time. I found myself jumping onto Google Streetview regularly to get a sense of their environment - particularly those of the early 20th century, whose dwellings have probably not changed significantly.
• Yvon's Paris. Hardcover. 144 pages. Author: Robert Stevens. Amazon.com (U.S.)