Châteaux, Rivers & Wine

Roundtrip Bordeaux, France | 8 days

Discover the ports, vineyards, farms and forests of Aquitaine, once Europe’s richest kingdom. See Bordeaux’s fountains and cellars. Hunt for truffles in Périgord, and create your own personal blend of Cognac at the Camus distillery. Savor France’s finest oysters fresh from the bay at Arcachon. Sip Saint-Émilion, Médoc and Sauternes in their own ”terroir” on an 8-day cruise through Bordeaux—a region synonymous with fine wine and finer living.

Paris & the Heart of Normandy

Roundtrip Paris, France | 8 days

Dock in the heart of Paris, admiring views of the Eiffel Tower and a replica of the Statue of Liberty from your ship. Experience history firsthand at the Normandy beaches and delight in Rouen’s Gothic architecture. Explore Giverny and the charming house and gardens where Claude Monet lived and worked, the setting inspiring many of his masterpieces. This voyage celebrates history, art, food and customs in France’s most alluring urbane and pastoral settings.

Lyon & Provence

Avignon to Lyon | 8 days

Tap into your inner van Gogh at an Arles painting class. Discover Roman Provence at Les Arènes amphitheater and the Pont du Gard. Explore Avignon’s Palace of the Popes. Excite your palate in Lyon, capital of French gastronomy. Savor Beaujolais wines. Hunt for truffles and see how chèvre cheese is made. Come witness the beauty that inspired artists like Cézanne and Chagall on this 8-day Rhône cruise.

France’s Finest

Paris to Avignon | 15 days

Pay your respects at Normandy’s World War II beaches. Walk in Joan of Arc’s footsteps at Rouen. Luxuriate in Paris’s sophistication. Savor Lyon’s culinary heritage. Toast the Beaujolais vineyards. Explore Avignon’s Palace of the Popes. Celebrate the Provençal lifestyle. Art, cuisine, style, joie de vivre—if you love everything Français, this is for you: a 15-day journey that combines our popular Paris & the Heart of Normandy and Lyon & Provence cruises into one tour de force.

Cities of Light

Paris to Prague | 12 days

Sail Europe’s most iconic rivers: the Moselle with its steep vineyards; the castle-studded Rhine; and the Main, lined with quaint villages. Taste legendary Moselle Rieslings. Survey the Rhine from 900-year-old Marksburg Castle. Explore Prague’s Lobkowicz Palace on a Privileged Access tour designed just for us by Prince William. Savor French, German and Czech cuisine. With bookends in Paris and Prague, this 12-day journey celebrates Europe’s most luminous ports.

Rhine Getaway

Basel to Amsterdam | 8 days

Explore one of Europe’s best-loved rivers, the Rhine. Discover the turreted fortresses, grand cathedrals, historic cities, medieval towns and spectacular scenery of the Middle Rhine—a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Taste the region’s renowned white wines, the roots of its terraced vineyards reaching back to Roman times. Savor the various culinary traditions of Alsace. From Amsterdam and Cologne to Basel, this journey reveals a rich landscape of beauty and culture.

Paris to the Swiss Alps

Paris to Zürich | 12 days

Pay your respects at the Luxembourg American Cemetery. Discover Roman Trier. Taste Moselle Rieslings and visit the wine town of Bernkastel-Kues. Enjoy scenic cruising past the town of Sankt Goar, home of the Lorelei Rock, and through the Rhine Gorge, a UNESCO Site. Visit fascinating Worms and the university town of Heidelberg. Vineyard-flanked slopes and historic cities, along with hotel stays in Paris and Zürich, make this 12-day cruisetour irresistible.

Christmas on the Rhine

Amsterdam to Basel | 8 days

Immerse yourself in the spirit of Christmas as you journey through storybook villages. Sample tasty yuletide treats and regional delicacies as you browse colorful stalls for handcrafted ornaments and unique gifts. Admire the twinkling lights of Cologne and revel in the merry atmosphere of the Rhine Valley, as storefront displays, wine cellars and markets embrace the holiday season. This 8-day voyage is a joyful celebration of festive cheer.

Mediterranean Odyssey

Barcelona to Venice (Chioggia) | 13 days

Set course for unforgettable exploration to some of the Mediterranean’s most historic ports: the fabled towns of Tuscany, ancient Rome and canal-laced Venice. Enjoy ample time to savor Barcelona’s easygoing spirit with an overnight stay. Discover the French Riviera’s seaside pleasures in Marseille and Monte Carlo. And visit Dubrovnik, a hidden medieval jewel. Along the way, gracious hosts and fine regional cuisine connect you to this remarkable region.

Iconic Mediterranean Treasures

Istanbul to Barcelona | 22 days

Visit ancient sites and cosmopolitan cities when you combine Ancient Mediterranean Treasures, Journey to Antiquities and Iconic Western Mediterranean into one captivating journey. See remarkably preserved ruins in Turkey and Greece, and call on some of the Mediterranean’s most beloved ports in Italy, Monaco, France and Spain. Overnights in Istanbul, Athens, Florence/Pisa and Barcelona allow you to fully explore the region’s wealth of cultural treasures.

A Needle in the Right Hand of God: The Norman Conquest of 1066 and the Making and Meaning of the Bayeux Tapestry

By R. Howard Bloch

The Bayeux Tapestry is the world’s most famous textile–an exquisite 230-foot-long embroidered panorama depicting the events surrounding the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is also one of history’s most mysterious and compelling works of art. This haunting stitched account of the battle that redrew the map of medieval Europe has inspired dreams of theft, waves of nationalism, visions of limitless power, and esthetic rapture. In his fascinating new book, Yale professor R. Howard Bloch reveals the history, the hidden meaning, the deep beauty, and the enduring allure of this astonishing piece of cloth.

Bloch opens with a gripping account of the event that inspired the Tapestry: the swift, bloody Battle of Hastings, in which the Norman bastard William defeated the Anglo-Saxon king, Harold, and laid claim to England under his new title, William the Conqueror. But to truly understand the connection between battle and embroidery, one must retrace the web of international intrigue and scandal that climaxed at Hastings. Bloch demonstrates how, with astonishing intimacy and immediacy, the artisans who fashioned this work of textile art brought to life a moment that changed the course of British culture and history.

The Bayeux Tapestry: The Life Story of a Masterpiece

By Carola Hicks

The vivid scenes on the Bayeux Tapestry depict the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It is one of Europe's greatest treasures and its own story is full of drama and surprise.

Who commissioned the tapestry? Was it Bishop Odo, William's ruthless half-brother? Or Harold's dynamic sister Edith, juggling for a place in the new court? Hicks shows us this world and the miracle of the tapestry's making: the stitches, dyes and strange details in the margins. For centuries it lay ignored in Bayeux cathedral until its 'discovery' in the eighteenth century. It became a symbol of power as well as art: townsfolk saved it during the French Revolution; Napoleon displayed it to promote his own conquest; the Nazis strove to make it their own; and its influence endures today.

This marvellous book, packed with thrilling stories, shows how we remake history in every age and how a great work of art has a life of its own.

The Norman Conquest: The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England

By Marc Morris

An upstart French duke who sets out to conquer the most powerful and unified kingdom in Christendom. An invasion force on a scale not seen since the days of the Romans. One of the bloodiest and most decisive battles ever fought.

This new history explains why the Norman Conquest was the most significant cultural and military episode in English history. Assessing the original evidence at every turn, Marc Morris goes beyond the familiar outline to explain why England was at once so powerful and yet so vulnerable to William the Conqueror s attack; why the Normans, in some respects less sophisticated, possessed the military cutting edge; how William s hopes of a united Anglo-Norman realm unraveled, dashed by English rebellions, Viking invasions, and the insatiable demands of his fellow conquerors."

A History of France

By John Julius Norwich

John Julius Norwich--called a "true master of narrative history" by Simon Sebag Montefiore--returns with the book he has spent his distinguished career wanting to write, A History of France a portrait of the past two centuries of the country he loves best.

Beginning with Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul in the first century BC, this study of French history comprises a cast of legendary characters--Charlemagne, Louis XIV, Napoleon, Joan of Arc and Marie Antionette, to name a few--as Norwich chronicles France's often violent, always fascinating history. From the French Revolution--after which neither France, nor the world, would be the same again--to the storming of the Bastille, from the Vichy regime and the Resistance to the end of the Second World War, A History of France is packed with heroes and villains, battles and rebellion, stories so enthralling that Norwich declared, "I can honestly say that I have never enjoyed writing a book more."

With his celebrated stylistic panache and expert command of detail, one of our greatest contemporary historians has deftly captured France's sweeping historical trajectory in an inviting, intimate tone, and with a palpable affection for the enchanting landscape and richly colorful culture

Napoleon: A Life

By Andrew Roberts

Austerlitz, Borodino, Waterloo: his battles are among the greatest in history, but Napoleon Bonaparte was far more than a military genius and astute leader of men. Like George Washington and his own hero Julius Caesar, he was one of the greatest soldier-statesmen of all times.

Andrew Roberts’s Napoleon is the first one-volume biography to take advantage of the recent publication of Napoleon’s thirty-three thousand letters, which radically transform our understanding of his character and motivation. At last we see him as he was: protean multitasker, decisive, surprisingly willing to forgive his enemies and his errant wife Josephine. Like Churchill, he understood the strategic importance of telling his own story, and his memoirs, dictated from exile on St. Helena, became the single bestselling book of the nineteenth century.

An award-winning historian, Roberts traveled to fifty-three of Napoleon’s sixty battle sites, discovered crucial new documents in archives, and even made the long trip by boat to St. Helena. He is as acute in his understanding of politics as he is of military history. Here at last is a biography worthy of its subject: magisterial, insightful, beautifully written, by one of our foremost historians.

Louis XIV: The Power and the Glory

By Josephine Wilkinson

This stylish and incisive narrative presents readers with a fresh perspective on one of the most fascinating kings in European history. Louis XIV’s story has all the ingredients of a Dumas classic: legendary beginnings, beguiling women, court intrigue, a mysterious prisoner in an iron mask, lavish court entertainments, the scandal of a mistress who was immersed in the dark arts, and a central character who is handsome and romantic, but with a frighteningly dark side to his character.

Louis believed himself to be semi-divine. His self-identification as the Sun King, which was reflected in iconography by the sun god, Apollo, influenced every aspect of Louis’s life: his political philosophy, his wars, and his relationships with courtiers and subjects.

As a military strategist, Louis’s capacity was ambiguous, but he was an astute politician who led his country to the heights of sophistication and power—and then had the misfortune to live long enough to see it all crumble away. As the sun began to set upon this most glorious of reigns, it brought a gathering darkness filled with the anguish of dead heirs, threatened borders, and a populace that was dangerously dependent upon—but greatly distanced from—its king.

The Cambridge Illustrated History of France

By Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie and Colin Jones

In a tour de force, Colin Jones gives a gripping, superbly and intelligently illustrated account of the political, social and cultural history of France, placing an innovatory emphasis on the impact of regionalism, class, gender and race in French heritage. Ranging from prehistoric menhirs to the Pompidou Centre, from Louis XIV's Versailles to twentieth-century highrises, from Marie Antoinette to Marie Claire, The Cambridge Illustrated History of France is host to lively and penetrating new insights that take us through the shaping of France from the earliest times to the brink of a new millennium. Combining superb illustration with outstanding scholarship, the diversity of the French heritage--scientific and artistic, national and regional--is explored with an engrossing and accessible style. Special features on places, people and events, a glossary, and a further reading section enhance this engaging book that will appeal to history buffs and students of French history and culture. Colin Jones is also the author of The Longman Companion to the French Revolution and The Cultural Atlas of France.

A Certain Idea of France: The Life of Charles de Gaulle

By Julian T. Jackson

In six weeks in 1940, France's armies were decisively beaten by Germany. A junior French general, refusing to accept defeat, made his way to England. On 18 June he spoke to his compatriots on the BBC, urging them rally to him in London. Through that broadcast, Charles de Gaulle entered into history. For the rest of the war, de Gaulle in London frequently bit the hand that fed him. Insisting on being treated as the true embodiment of France, he quarrelled violently with Churchill and Roosevelt. But through force of personality and willpower he managed to have France recognised as one of the victorious powers at the end of the War. For ten years after 1958 he was President of France's Fifth Republic, which he created and which endures to this day. Drawing on a vast range of published and unpublished documents, Julian Jackson's magnificent biography reveals this extraordinary figure as never before. The portrait which emerges is of a man of many paradoxes. Some considered him a delusional mystic and vainglorious showman; others a cynical Machiavellian with no fixed beliefs. The tension between reason and sentiment, ambition and moderation, visions of grandeur and respect for circumstance, lay at the core of his conception of political action. Few leaders have reflected more self-consciously on the nature of leadership. As he wrote of Napoleon: 'Once the balance between ends and means is snapped, the manoeuvres of a genius are in vain.' But although de Gaulle had a clear sense of what a leader should be, he was surprisingly flexible about what one should do. The man who did so much to make France what it is today was himself a battlefield on which the French fought out their history.

A Brief History of France

By Cecil Jenkins

When we think of France we often evoke images of fine food and wine, the elegant boulevards of Paris, the chic beaches of St Tropez. Yet, as the largest country in Europe, it is a place of huge diversity. The idea of 'Frenchness' emerged from over 2,000 years of history and it is a riveting story from Roman conquest to the present day.

Cecil Jenkins tells the story of the formation of this nation through its people, great events and culture. Through this narrative he charts why the French began to see themselves as so different from the rest of Europe and why, today, they face the same problems of identity as many other nations.

Markets of Provence: Food, Antiques, Crafts, and More

By Marjorie R. Williams and Dixon Long

Provence, France, is justly famous for its dazzling light, vibrant colors, rich history, and flavorful foods and wines. And its markets have been the beating heart of Provençal life since the Middle Ages. In Markets of Provence, Marjorie R. Williams whisks you away to 30 of the best. This pocketable guide, complete with detailed maps and organized by days of the week, gives you all the information you need for your visit to this Mediterranean region.

Included are: indispensable advice on timing, navigation, negotiation and payment; tips on etiquette while surveying vendors' produce; and even some French language lessons to help you brush up on your essential français. Complete with restaurant recommendations and other useful tips, this book will help you get the most out of the experience. Supplemented with beautiful full-color photographs and color-coded maps, Markets of Provence is a must-have for every traveler.

A Pig in Provence: Good Food and Simple Pleasures in the South of France

By Georgeanne Brennan

Georgeanne Brennan moved to Provence in 1970, seeking a simpler life. She set off on her many adventures in Provençale cuisine by tracking down a herd of goats, a cool workshop, some rennet, and the lost art of making fresh goat cheese. From this first effort throughout her time in Provence, Brennan transformed from novice fromagère to renowned, James Beard Foundation Award–winning cookbook author and food writer.

A Pig in Provence is the story of how Georgeanne Brennan fell in love with Provence. But it’s also the story of making a life beyond the well-trodden path and the story of how food can unite a community. In loving detail, Brennan tells of the herders who maintain a centuries-old grazing route, of the community feast that brings a town to one table, and of the daily rhythms and joys of living by the cycles of food and nature.

Sprinkled with recipes that offer samples of Brennan’s Provençale cooking, A Pig in Provence is a food memoir that urges you to savor every morsel.

The Three Musketeers

By Alexandre Dumas

Young D’Artagnan arrives in Paris to join the king’s elite guards, but almost immediately finds he is duelling with some of the very men he has come to swear allegiance to – Porthos, Athos and Aramis, inseparable friends - the Three Musketeers. But D'Artagnan's loyalty to his new allies puts him in the path of Cardinal Richelieu's deadly machinations, and when the young hero falls in love with the beautiful but inaccessible Constance, he finds himself in a world of murder, conspiracy and lies with only the Musketeers to depend on. A stirring tale of friendship and adventure, The Three Musketeers continues to be one of the most influential and popular pieces of French literature.

In this acclaimed new translation, Richard Pevear’s introduction investigates the controversy of Dumas’ literary collaborators, and how important serialisation was to the book’s success. This edition also includes notes on the text.

Noble Rot: A Bordeaux Wine Revolution

By William Echikson

For wine lovers the world over, Bordeaux is the center of the universe. But in the past two decades, revolutionaries have stormed its traditional bastions, making their mark—and their fortunes—modernizing the production and marketing of wine. Noble Rot introduces us to the figures who epitomize the changes sweeping Bordeaux—the noble family behind Château d'Yquem; a stonemason turned winemaker whose wine, made in a garage, sells for $100 a bottle; the Maryland-based critic Robert Parker, whose opinion routinely makes or breaks a wine; the New World operations that have used branding to undercut Bordeaux's supremacy—and delves into the mysteries of the legendary classification of 1855.

The Finest Wines of Bordeaux: A Regional Guide to the Best Châteaux and Their Wines

By James Lawther

Bordeaux has long symbolized the peak of prestige for French wine. Yet, despite its outstanding reputation, the region has remained relatively closed to consumers, as forbidding as the highest château gates or the most tannic of its young wines. In this highly approachable, beautifully illustrated guide, Master of Wine James Lawther draws on his insider’s knowledge to open up Bordeaux. He has identified 90 producers from both the Left and Right banks with the finest wines and the most interesting stories to tell and takes us inside their chateaux, offering intimate portraits of both the properties and the people who shape this fascinating region. He also provides chapters on history and winemaking that explain how Bordeaux has risen over the past three centuries to the unparalleled status it enjoys today. Illustrated throughout with original photographs and detailed color maps, The Finest Wines of Bordeaux reveals a changing region that is more open to new producers than its insular reputation suggests—and one that continues to hold a tight grip on the imaginations of wine enthusiasts around the world. 

Food Wine Burgundy

By David Downie

For decades, David Downie and Alison Harris have been exploring Burgundy—they walked clear across it in 2006—reporting on their finds for top magazines and newspapers worldwide. This is the third Terroir Guide they have collaborated on and perhaps the most detailed and personal of any so far. Burgundy is one of France’s great food and wine regions. Many of the world’s most sought-after wines are produced there; so, too, are some of the most underrated, underpriced white wines in France. Each of Burgundy’s five wine districts is thoroughly explored in this guide, with recommendations on which wines to buy and which wineries to visit. Wine terminology is explained in a way that anyone can understand. On the food side, Burgundy still has a surprising number of luxurious restaurants, as well as dozens of country auberges visitors dream of discovering. Downie leads you to just such places, as well as to specialty food shops where you can taste the region’s terroir firsthand. Burgundy’s lush scenery distills the essence of French terroir, and each of its subregions has a distinctive character where the architecture and art reflect this storied diversity.

Burgundy: Art. Architecture. Landscape

By Rolf Toman

La Bourgogne (Burgundy) - the name evokes beautiful landscapes and cities, famous wines and culinary pleasures. In this book, the reader will discover all cathedrals and cloisters, castles and vineyards of this region. Burgundy is a guide through 3,000 years of Burgundy’s history, beginning at the Neolithic era with mysterious meter-thick layers of horse bones, through Greek craftwork and Etruscan gold, then further on to the Cistercian cloisters and up to the present day. Burgundy is exciting!

Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer’s Tour of France

By Kermit Lynch

Kermit Lynch's recounting of his experiences on the wine route and in the wine cellars of France takes the reader through the Loire, Bordeaux, the Languedoc, Provence, Northern and Southern Rhone, and the Cote d'Or.

A Taste for Provence

By Helen Horowitz

In A Taste for Provence, historian Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz digs into this question and spins a wonderfully appealing tale of how Provence became Provence. The region had previously been regarded as a backwater and known only for its Roman ruins, but in the postwar era authors, chefs, food writers, visual artists, purveyors of goods, and travel magazines crafted a new, alluring image for Provence. Soon, the travel industry learned that there were many ways to roam—and some even involved sitting still. The promise of longer stays where one cooked fresh food from storied outdoor markets became desirable as American travelers sought new tastes and unadulterated ingredients.

Even as she revels in its atmospheric, cultural, and culinary attractions, Horowitz demystifies Provence and the perpetuation of its image today. Guiding readers through books, magazines, and cookbooks, she takes us on a tour of Provence pitched as a new Eden, and she dives into the records of a wide range of visual media—paintings, photographs, television, and film—demonstrating what fueled American enthusiasm for the region. Beginning in the 1970s, Provence—for a summer, a month, or even just a week or two—became a dream for many Americans. Even today as a road well traveled, Provence continues to enchant travelers, armchair and actual alike.

The Scarlet Pimpernel

By Emmuska Orczy

Armed with only his wits and his cunning, one man recklessly defies the French revolutionaries and rescues scores of innocent men, women, and children from the deadly guillotine. His friends and foes know him only as the Scarlet Pimpernel. But the ruthless French agent Chauvelin is sworn to discover his identity and to hunt him down.

The Glass-Blowers

By Daphne du Maurier

The world of the glass-blowers has its own traditions, it's own language - and its own rules. 'If you marry into glass' Pierre Labbe warns his daughter, 'you will say goodbye to everything familiar, and enter a closed world'. But crashing into this world comes the violence and terror of the French Revolution, against which the family struggles to survive.

Years later, Sophie Duval reveals to her long-lost nephew the tragic story of a family of master craftsmen in eighteenth-century France. Drawing on her own family's tale of tradition and sorrow, Daphne du Maurier weaves an unforgettable saga of beauty, war, and family.

The Count of Monte Cristo

By Alexandre Dumas

Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantes is confined to the grim fortress of If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to unearth the treasure and use it to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration. Dumas’ epic tale of suffering and retribution, inspired by a real-life case of wrongful imprisonment, was a huge popular success when it was first serialized in the 1840s.

Madame Bovary

By Gustave Flaubert

Madame Bovary is the debut novel of French writer Gustave Flaubert, published in 1856. The character lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities and emptiness of provincial life. When the novel was first serialized in La Revue de Paris between 1 October 1856 and 15 December 1856, public prosecutors attacked the novel for obscenity. The resulting trial in January 1857 made the story notorious. After Flaubert's acquittal on 7 February 1857, Madame Bovary became a bestseller in April 1857 when it was published in two volumes. A seminal work of literary realism, the novel is now considered Flaubert's masterpiece, and one of the most influential literary works in history.

Les Misérables

By Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo's tale of injustice, heroism and love follows the fortunes of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict determined to put his criminal past behind him. But his attempts to become a respected member of the community are constantly put under threat: by his own conscience, when, owing to a case of mistaken identity, another man is arrested in his place; and by the relentless investigations of the dogged Inspector Javert. It is not simply for himself that Valjean must stay free, however, for he has sworn to protect the baby daughter of Fantine, driven to prostitution by poverty.

A Tale of Two Cities

By Charles Dickens

A Tale of Two Cities is Charles Dickens’s great historical novel, set against the violent upheaval of the French Revolution. The most famous and perhaps the most popular of his works, it compresses an event of immense complexity to the scale of a family history, with a cast of characters that includes a bloodthirsty ogress and an antihero as believably flawed as any in modern fiction. Though the least typical of the author’s novels, A Tale of Two Cities still underscores many of his enduring themes—imprisonment, injustice, social anarchy, resurrection, and the renunciation that fosters renewal

My Life in France

By Julia Child and Alex Prud'Homme

In her own words, here is the story of Julia Child's years in France, where she fell in love with French food and found her "true calling." Filled with the black-and-white photographs that her husband Paul loved to take when he was not battling bureaucrats, as well as family snapshots, this memoir is laced with stories about the French character, particularly in the world of food, and the way of life that Julia embraced so whole-heartedly. Above all, she reveals the kind of spirit and determination, the sheer love of cooking, and the drive to share that with her fellow Americans that made her the extraordinary success she became.

Hemingway's Paris: A Writer's City in Words and Images

By Robert Wheeler

For the first time in trade paperback, experience Hemingway’s Paris in all its beauty and grandeur. In gorgeous black-and-white images, Hemingway’s Paris depicts a story of remarkable passion—for a city, a woman, and a time. No other city in any of his travels was as significant, professionally or emotionally, as Paris. And it remains there, all of the complexity, beauty, and intrigue that Hemingway describes in the pages of so much of his work.

It is all still there for the reader and traveler to experience—the history, the streets, and the city. Restaurants, hotels, homes, sites, and favorite bars are all detailed here. The ninety-five black-and-white photographs in Hemingway’s Paris are of the highest caliber. The accompanying text reveals Wheeler’s deep understanding of Hemingway: his torment, his talent, the obstacles he faced, and the places of refuge needed to nurture one of the preeminent writers of the twentieth century.

Moved by the humanistic writing of Hemingway, Wheeler was inspired to travel throughout France, Italy, Spain, Africa, and Cuba, where he has sought to gain insight into the motivation behind Hemingway’s books and short stories. As a teacher, lecturer, and photojournalist, he set out to capture and interpret the Paris that Ernest Hemingway experienced in the first part of the twentieth century. Through his journal and photographs, Wheeler portrays the intimate connection Hemingway had with the woman he never stopped loving, Hadley, and with the city he loved most, Paris.

The Food of France

By Waverley Root

Embraces not only the marvels of French cooking but French history, language, landscape, and customs as well. Here is France for the traveler, the chef, and the connoisseur of fine prose. Maps and b & w line drawings throughout.

In Montmartre: Picasso, Matisse and the Birth of Modernist Art

By Sue Roe

When the young Pablo Picasso first arrived in Paris in 1900, the most progressive young artists all lived and worked in the seedy hillside quarter of Montmartre, in the shade of the old windmills. Over the next decade, among the studios, salons, cafés, dance halls, and galleries of Montmartre, the young Spaniard joined the likes of Henri Matisse, André Derain, Maurice de Vlaminck, Georges Braque, Amedeo Modigliani, Constantin Brancusi, Gertrude Stein, and many more in revolutionizing artistic expression.
 
Blending exceptional scholarship with graceful prose, Sue Roe paints a remarkable group portrait of the men and women who profoundly changed the arts of painting, sculpture, dance, music, literature, and fashion. She describes the origins of such movements as Fauvism, Cubism, and Futurism, and reconstructs the stories behind immortal paintings by Picasso and Matisse. She shows how daily life in Montmartre—which brought artists together with acrobats and dancers, prostitutes and clowns—provided an essential cauldron for artistic experimentation and for the colorful relationships, friendships, loyalties, and feuds that gave rise to some of the most pathbreaking and lasting works of the twentieth century.
 
In Montmartre is a thrilling account of an extraordinary group of artists on the cusp of fame and immortality that brings vividly to life one of the key moments in the history of modern art.

In a French Kitchen: Tales and Traditions of Everyday Home Cooking in France

By Susan Herrmann Loomis

A delightful celebration of French life and the cooks who turn even the simplest meals into a celebration.

One by one, readers are invited to meet the busy people of Louviers and surrounding villages and towns of Loomis's adopted home, from runway-chic Edith, who has zero passion for cooking - but a love of food that inspires her to whip up an array of mouthwatering dishes - to Nathalie, who becomes misty-eyed as she talks about her mother's Breton cooking, then goes on to reproduce it. Through friends and neighbours like these, Loomis learns that delicious, even decadent meals don't have to be complicated.

Are French cooks better organized when planning and shopping? Do they have a greater ability to improvise with whatever they have on hand when unexpected guests arrive? The answer to both is: Yes. But they also have an innate understanding of food and cooking, are instinctively knowledgeable about seasonal produce, and understand what combination of simple ingredients will bring out the best of their gardens or local markets.

Thankfully for everyone In a French Kitchen shares the everyday French tips, secrets and recipes that allow them to turn every meal into a sumptious occasion.

French Wine: A History

By Roderick Phillips

For centuries, wine has been associated with France more than with any other country. France remains one of the world’s leading wine producers by volume and enjoys unrivaled cultural recognition for its wine. If any wine regions are global household names, they are French regions such as Champagne, Bordeaux, and Burgundy. Within the wine world, products from French regions are still benchmarks for many wines.
 
French Wine is the first synthetic history of wine in France: from Etruscan, Greek, and Roman imports and the adoption of wine by beer-drinking Gauls to its present status within the global marketplace. Rod Phillips places the history of grape growing and winemaking in each of the country’s major regions within broad historical and cultural contexts.

Examining a range of influences on the wine industry, wine trade, and wine itself, the book explores religion, economics, politics, revolution, and war, as well as climate and vine diseases. French Wine is the essential reference on French wine for collectors, consumers, sommeliers, and industry professionals.

The Secret Life of the Seine

By Mort Rosenblum

Mort Rosenblum, a celebrated foreign correspondent, invites us aboard his fifty-four-foot launch tied up in the center of Paris and introduces us to the characters who share his life along the river, ranging from eccentric movie stars and reclusive novelists to barge families just scraping by. He then hauls in the bow line for an unforgettable tour of the river itself from its source to its mouth. The Secret Life of the Seine is a love story between man and boat and the river that they live on, a discourse on the sensual beauty of France and the art of living well. In the tradition of A Year in Provence, Under the Tuscan Sun, and Paris to the Moon, here is what Garry Trudeau called "a moveable feast [with] a top speed of five knots—fast enough for fun, languid enough for dreaming. Take a trip you'll never take: This is what books are for." 

The Road from the Past: Traveling through History in France

By Ina Caro

Caro takes us on an unforgettable driving tour of France, from Provence to the Loire Valley to Paris. With Caro as an epicurean, knowledgeable, and delightfully opinionated guide, we can always be sure to find the most breathtaking vistas, the most extraordinary châteaux, the most inspiring cathedrals, and the very best meals.

Shakespeare and Company, Paris: A History of the Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart

By Krista Halverson

This is a first-ever history of the legendary bohemian bookstore in Paris. It interweaves essays and poetry from dozens of writers associated with the shop--Allen Ginsberg, Anaïs Nin, Ethan Hawke, Robert Stone and Jeanette Winterson, among others--with hundreds of never-before-seen archival pieces. It includes photographs of James Baldwin, William Burroughs and Langston Hughes, plus a foreword by the celebrated British novelist Jeanette Winterson and an epilogue by Sylvia Whitman, the daughter of the store’s founder, George Whitman.

The book has been edited by Krista Halverson, director of the newly founded Shakespeare and Company publishing house.

Omaha Beach: D-Day, June 6, 1944

By Joseph Balkoski

Balkoski's depiction of 'Bloody Omaha' is the literary accompaniment to the white-knuckle Omaha Beach scene that opens Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan. -- John Hillen, New York PostIn this unforgettable narrative of D-Day, Joseph Balkoski describes the minute-by-minute combat as it unfolded on Omaha Beach, allowing soldiers to speak for themselves as they recall their attempts to maneuver bombers through heavy cloud cover, the claustrophobic terror aboard transports, and the relentless fire that greeted them on the beach. Equal parts oral history and meticulous reconstruction, Omaha Beach is the closest the modern reader can get to experiencing the Normandy landings firsthand.

Anastasia

Anatole Litvak

Russian exiles in Paris groom a down-and-out girl to pose as the heir to the Russian throne in order to collect ten million pounds from the Bank of England. In 1957, Ingrid Bergman won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance as Anastasia. Filmed in Denmark, England and France.

Dunkirk

Christopher Nolan

Alternating among three different time periods, this film is about Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire and France who are stranded on Dunkirk during World War II and waiting for rescue while being surrounded by the German Army. This multi-award-winning film won three Oscars in 2018. Filmed in multiple locations including France, The Netherlands and the UK.

The Americanization of Emily

Arthur Hiller

An American officer falls in love with a widowed Englishwoman during World War II, but a dangerous mission threatens to separate them forever. Starring James Garner and Julie Andrews, with a screenplay by Paddy Chayefsky; nominated for two Academy Awards. Filmed in Normandy, France.

A Week’s Holiday

Bertrand Tavernier

A young schoolteacher from Lyon goes on holiday for a week and reflects upon her life and career. Starring Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or nominee Bertrand Tavernier and César Award nominee for Best Actress Nathalie Baye. Originally titled Une Semaine de Vacances. Filmed in Lyon, France.

All the Mornings of the World

Alain Corneau

When Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe finds out that his wife died while he was away, he builds a small house in his garden and dedicates his life to music and his two young daughters. Originally titled Tous les matins du monde. Filmed in France.

A Tale of Autumn

Eric Rohmer

The romantic story of a widowed vineyard owner whose best friend fancies himself a matchmaker. Mistaken identity leads to a comedy of errors before all is resolved. Filmed in Provence, France.

A Very Long Engagement

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

A young woman searches for her fiancé, who has disappeared at the Battle of the Somme. Jeunet features dreamlike sequences and flashbacks while portraying the horrors of war. Originally titled Un long dimanche de fiançailles. Filmed in various locations throughout France.

By the Sea

Angelina Jolie

Vanessa and her husband, Roland, seem to be growing apart despite traveling together in France. But when they discover a quiet seaside town, they develop a mutual interest in the colorful inhabitants, bringing the two of them closer together. Filmed in various locations throughout Malta.

Memorias del desarrollo

Miguel Coyula

This award-winning film is about an educated man who decides to leave the Cuban revolution and his homeland to explore the “developed” world, including London, Paris, New York and Tokyo. The more he travels, the more he finds himself feeling like a stranger in strange lands. Filmed in multiple locations including Havana, London, Paris and Tokyo.

Children of Paradise

Marcel Carne

One of the most famous French art films, Children of Paradise resembles a Manet painting with its dazzling depiction of 19th-century Paris streets, theaters and cafés. Originally titled Les enfants du paradis. Filmed in France.

The Cockleshell Heroes

José Ferrer

A crack squad of British Royal Marines embarks upon a mission of sabotage, against all odds. Filmed in Bordeaux and various locations in France.

Charade

Stanley Donen

Regina, a Paris-based American, realizes that she does not really know or love her Swiss husband, Charles. But before she can request a divorce, Charles is found dead and Regina is pursued by men who want the fortune her late husband had stolen. Filmed in various locations throughout Paris.

The Consul of Bordeaux

Francisco Manso and João Correa

The story of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, who saved the lives of 30,000 refugees in World War II by disobeying orders. Coimbra Caminhos do Cinema Português Audience Award winner for Best Film. Filmed in Bordeaux, France.

Back to Burgundy

Cédric Klapisch

After a decade away, Jean returns to his hometown to reunite with his family and siblings. Originally titled Ce qui nous lie. Filmed in Burgundy, France.

The Longest Day

Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton and Gerd Oswald

This Academy Award–winning drama recounts the events of D-Day, as told from both the Allied and German perspectives. Filmed in Normandy, France.

La Vie en Rose

Olivier Dahan

The back-and-forth nature of the narrative in this nonchronological look at the tragic and famous life of the “Little Sparrow,” Édith Piaf, suggests the patterns of memory and association. Filmed in Paris, France and Prague, Czech Republic.

Mississippi Mermaid

Francois Truffaut

A man enters into a long-distance love affair by mail and proposes marriage. But when his fiancée arrives, she is not what he expected. Starring Catherine Deneuve and Jean-Paul Belmondo. Originally titled La Sirene du Mississippi. Filmed in Lyon, France.

Manon of the Spring

Claude Berri

In this sequel to Jean de Florette, featuring Yves Montand, a beautiful shepherdess plots vengeance on the men whose greedy conspiracy to acquire her father’s land caused his death years earlier. Originally titled Manon des sources. Filmed in various locations throughout France.

My Mother’s Castle

Yves Robert

The young life of Marcel continues, from the countryside of Provence to the bustle of Marseilles. Named Best Foreign Language Film by the Chicago Film Critics Association (1992). Filmed in Provence and Marseilles, France.

My Father’s Glory

Yves Robert

The story of a young boy’s life in turn-of-the-century France, based on the experiences of the author. NBR Award winner for Top Foreign Films and César nominee. Filmed in Provence, France.

Our Summer in Provence

Rose Bosch

Three siblings go on holiday in Provence with a grandfather they have never met. Originally titled Aris de mistral. Filmed in Provence, France.

The Return of the Pink Panther

Blake Edwards

When the Pink Panther diamond is stolen, with the only clue being the Phantom’s trademark glove, Inspector Clouseau is put on the case. Filmed in France, Morocco and Switzerland.

The True Glory

Garson Kanin and Carol Reed

This documentary written by Paddy Chayefsky and featuring General Dwight D. Eisenhower follows Allied troops through Europe, from D-Day at Normandy, France to the fall of Berlin. Features footage from across Europe.

Ronin

John Frankenheimer

An international team of grifters and intelligence agents assemble to steal a briefcase, the contents of which are valuable. But there is no honor among thieves. Winner of the International Film Music Critics Award for Best Original Score in an Action Film. Filmed in Arles, Nice, and Villefranche-Sur-Mer.

Ratatouille

Brad Bird

In this delightful animated film from Pixar Animation Studios, Remy the rat will stop at nothing to become one of Paris’s top chefs, befriending a restaurant’s garbage boy to commandeer a kitchen. The movie won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film.

Two for the Road

Stanley Donen

In this romantic comedy starring Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney, a married couple takes a road trip to St. Tropez, and as they drive through France, the audience is treated to flashbacks of previous trips that have influenced their relationship. Nominated for one Academy Award and two Golden Globes. Filmed in various locations throughout France.

A Good Year

Ridley Scott

Based on Peter Mayle’s book A Year in Provence, a workaholic trades his life selling bonds in London to cash in on a winery that was left to him by his dead uncle. With every day of his new life, Max grows out of his obsessive behavior and into a life he comes to embrace. Filmed in London, England and France.

Les Misérables

Tom Hooper

Set in revolutionary Paris, this epic musical retells Victor Hugo’s timeless tale of Jean Valjean, who vows to turn his life of crime around despite being doggedly chased by Inspector Javert. The story culminates as turmoil engulfs Paris, leading to the Paris Uprising of 1832. Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway star; Hathaway won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Filmed in multiple locations including Greenwich, London; Portsmouth, Hampshire; and France.

You Will Be My Son

Gilles Legrand

The story of a domineering father, owner of a prestigious vineyard in Saint-Émilion, and the unrealistic expectations he has for his son and his legacy. Originally titled Tu Sera Mon Fil. Filmed in Saint-Émilion, France.

Verdict

André Cayatte

A French judge is pressured to acquit a man accused of murdering his lover. Starring Sophia Loren and Jean Gabin. Filmed in Lyon, France.

Victor/Victoria

Blake Edwards

This gender-bending comedy starring Julie Andrews and James Garner tells the story of a struggling 1934 Paris lounge singer who concocts a scheme with her agent to perform as a man who is impersonating a woman. Difficulties ensue when she falls in love with a man. This movie won an Oscar for Best Adaptation Score.

Vincent and Theo

Robert Altman

The complex relationship between Vincent and his brother Theo, who supported his sibling emotionally and financially, is explored. Filmed in Arles and various locations in France.

Goya in Bordeaux

Carlos Saura

Explore the final months in the life of one of the most important artists of the modern era, Francisco Goya. Five-time Goya Award winner and recipient of the European Film Award for European Cinematographer. Filmed in Bordeaux, France.

How to Steal a Million

William Wyler

When Nicole’s father, a legendary art collector and forger, lends a fake statue to a prominent Paris museum, Nicole hires a burglar to steal the statue before the forgery is discovered. Filmed in Paris.

In the City of Sylvia

José Luis Guerín

This film follows a young man, Él, when he returns to Strasbourg in search of Sylvia, a woman whom he asked for directions in a bar six years earlier. Filmed in France.

Jean de Florette

Claude Berri

Based on the two-volume novel by Marcel Pagnol, a greedy landowner and his backward nephew conspire to block the only water source for an adjoining property in order to bankrupt the owner and force him to sell. The film garnered a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. Filmed in various locations throughout France.

Saving Private Ryan

Steven Spielberg

Winner of five Oscars and boasting an all-star cast, Saving Private Ryan is the gripping story of a mission to rescue a paratrooper behind enemy lines after the D-Day invasion of Normandy. Filmed in Normandy, France.

Joan of Arc

Victor Fleming

Ingrid Bergman stars as the young woman immortalized for her courage and martyrdom. Born in Orléans, she is later captured by the Burgundians and laid to rest in Rouen. Winner of three Academy Awards and five nominations.

Amélie

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

This romantic comedy traces the life of a timid waitress in Paris’s atmospheric and beautifully captured Montmartre neighborhood as she makes it her mission to help improve the lives of those around her while neglecting her isolated existence. Nominated for five Academy Awards. Originally titled Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain. Filmed in Paris.

Julie & Julia

Nora Ephron

With scenes of Paris and mouthwatering French food, the story of Julia Child’s start in the cooking profession is intertwined with blogger Julie Powell’s challenge to cook all the recipes in Child’s first book; stars Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. Streep won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress. Filmed in New York City, New York and Paris, France.

Paris, Je T’aime

Olivier Assayas

Twenty great filmmakers were given a simple challenge: create a short film (under five minutes) in Paris, about love. Whimsically beautiful, this film reveals Paris’s neighborhoods and the very human stories that they hold close. Filmed in Paris.

Chocolat

Lasse Hallström

In this “stranger comes to town” film, Juliette Binoche plays an itinerant chocolatier who opens a confectionary shop in a tiny French village, unleashing the appetites of the townspeople and the wrath of its ultra-conservative mayor. The film skillfully depicts the provincial charms of village life. Johnny Depp and Judi Dench also star. Nominated for five Academy Awards and four Golden Globes. Filmed in Flavigny-sur-Ozerain in Burgundy, and on the Dordogne River.

Moulin Rouge!

Baz Luhrmann

Referred to by some critics as a “pastiche-jukebox musical,” this lush film follows a young English poet in Belle Époque Paris as he falls in love with a terminally ill courtesan and cabaret performer in the Montmartre district. The movie stars Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor and won two Academy Awards.

Sarah’s Key

Gilles Paquet-Brenner

This moving and enlightening film traces a modern-day journalist (played by Kristin Scott Thomas) who becomes entangled in the World War II plight of a young girl separated from her family by the Nazi Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup of 1942. Filmed in multiple locations including Paris.

Midnight in Paris

Woody Allen

Part romantic comedy, part fantasy, this film follows a screenwriter visiting Paris with his fiancée and her parents. Each night, he finds himself in 1920s Paris salons, meeting the likes of Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway and the Fitzgeralds, causing him to reconsider marriage. Allen won an Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay; the film was also nominated for Best Picture. Filmed in Paris.