Literature, fine arts, photography, as well as every other form of creative self-expression has conditioned the world to equate Paris with romance. A few years ago cinematography contributed yet another film to the subject heading of Paris ( France ) - Drama. Paris, je t'aime is a melange of loosely connected vignettes, representing eighteen arrondissements of La Ville Lumière.

The most poignant and affecting episode of this film involves a letter carrier from Denver. Carol is in Paris for the first time and on her own. While she is eager to practice her diligently learned conjugations, most of her attempts to engage Parisians in conversation are unsuccessful. Carol consoles herself by looking at art and fantasizing of delivering mail to the inhabitants of charming homes, located on the quaint cobblestones streets. On the fifth day of her vacation Carol has an epiphany. Savoring a baguette sandwich on a bench of a lovely park, she is gripped by a previously unencountered and overwhelming moment of joie de vivre. Carol joyfully confesses her love for Paris and is convinced that her feelings are reciprocated.

If you've never visited Paris, you might be tempted to dismiss this scene as mawkish and contrived. It would be disingenuous for me to do so, because my personal love affair with Paris commenced in a similar tragicomic manner. I did not expect  Paris of my childhood dreams to be matched by reality and landed at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle with a strong sense of foreboding. Just like Carol, I was smitten with the city's visual grandeur, mesmerized by the simple elegance of style Parisians possess, enamored with everyone's ability to enjoy life. I felt intensely alive after emerging from the Catacombs, determined to live a life of modest significance after visiting Père-Lachaise. In his poem In "Paris with You," James Fenton substitutes the world ‘Paris’ for "love." To fully comprehend the magical revivifying effect Parisian "love" could have on your life, you must experience Paris. If you haven't  already done so ,  visit Paris for the pleasure of feeling intensely alive.

The following list of books about Paris includes works of history, travelogues, esoteric guides , as well as books with lots of pictures. All of the materials in this list are available at the Mid-Manhattan Library. If you are as determined as Carol to learn French, you are welcome to check out a few volumes in la langue de Molière. They are available at Mid-Manhattan's World Languages Collection. Anyone learning French can benefit from NYPL's Mango Languages, a self-paced language learning tool, available to all NYPL patrons. For a excellent selection of travel guides consult the Around the World with Travel Guides post.

Paris Underground: The Maps, Stations, And Design Of The Métro by Mark Ovenden

It would be impossible to get lost in Paris with this informed and captivating volume. This book focuses on social history of Paris Metro and contains beautiful illustrations of Art Nouveau stations and Art Deco signage.

 

The Food Lover's Guide To Paris: The Best Restaurants, Bistros, Cafés, Markets, Bakeries, And More by Patricia Wells

Visiting a country with an infinite varieties of cheese? You need this newly revised edition of a classic guide to food in Paris.

 

 

 

 

Paris Versus New York: A Tally Of Two Cities by Vahram Muratyan

The differences between New York and Paris displayed in a graphic format.

 

 

 

 

 

Unexpected Paris: A Contemporary Portrait: A Photographic Journal by by Nicolas Guilbert

This new book is painfully self-aware, but not without a number of spontaneous and enjoyable images.

 

 

Brassaï: For The Love Of Paris by Agnès de Gouvion Saint-Cyr

Hungarian-born photographer celebrates the beauty of Paris.

 

 

 

 

We'll Always Have Paris: American Tourists In France Since 1930 by Harvey Levenstein

Humorous and scholarly book on the history of our love affair with France.

 

 

 

 

 

Five Nights in Paris: After Dark in the City of Light by John Baxter

This very unusual guidebook will not disappoint your senses. John Baxter invites all visitors to Paris to devote each single night of a trip to the pleasure of one of your senses.

 

 

 

 

Every Woman's Guide To Romance In Paris by Caroline O'Connell

A personal tour of this authors favorite romantic spots, with many off the beaten path.

 

 

 

 

 

Quiet Corners Of Paris: Unexpected Hideaways, Secret Courtyards, Hidden Gardens by Jean-Christophe Napias

This directory of quite and quaint corners is conveniently organized by each individual arrondissement.

 

 

The Most Beautiful Walk in the World: A Pedestrian in Paris by John Baxter

John Baxter is the ideal tour guide you never had. He has that rare gift of being able to bring history to life without any references to dry and boring facts.

 

 

 

 

The Paris Style Guide: Shop, Eat, Sleep by Elodie Rambaud

Want a special light bulb from Paris to illuminate your life ? Paris Style Guide will direct you to the right boutique. Leather suppliers, ceramics, kitchenware, a basket specialists and a great number of bric-à-brac stores have the potential of transforming any dwelling into a chic Parisian apartment.

 

 

 

Bright Lights Paris by Angie Niles

If you want to shop and dine like a native Parisian, this guide is for you. Young women from each arrondissement have their own style and myriad of boutiques and cafes that cater to their needs. If you must know which cafe in Le Marais is currently in vogue, or which boutique is popular is Saint-Germain-des-Pres, read this book.

 

 

Paris To The Moon by Adam Gopnik

While on a temporary assignment in Paris, the author shares his impressions of the city. He is frequently juxtaposing the cultural differences between his true home in New York and his Paris.

 

 

 

 

The Only Street In Paris: Life On The Rue Des Martyrs by Elaine Sciolino

Former bureau chief of The New York Times and an author of La Seduction: How the French Play the Game of Life, Elaine Sciolino wrote a love letter to her neighborhood in Paris.

 

 

 

 

 

The Other Paris by Luc Sante

After writing about New York, Luc Sante acquired an encyclopedic knowledge of the seedier side of Paris, while in residence at NYPL's Cullman Center.

 

 

 

Parisians photographs by Peter Turnley; forewords by Edouard Boubat and Robert Doisneau; text by Adam Gopnik and Peter Turnley

Mosaic of images that impressed the author.

 

One Thousand Buildings Of Paris photography by Jorg Brockmann and James Driscoll; text by Kathy Borrus

Brief descriptions of architecturally significant structures of Paris.

 

 

 

 

 

Into A Paris Quartier: Reine Margot's Chapel And Other Haunts Of St.-Germain by Diane Johnson

An American in Paris offers personal recollections of the self-appointed intellectuals of the Left Bank.

 

 

 

 

How Paris Became Paris: The Invention Of The Modern City by Joan DeJean

Detailed examination of the urban planning that transformed a 17th century Paris into the magnificent city we know today.

 

 

 

 

 

Parisians: An Adventure History Of Paris by Graham Robb

Written for the pleasure of thinking about Paris, this vividly imagined and well-researched episodic history features the lives of famous and infamous Parisians.

 

 

 

 

 

Seven Ages Of Paris by Alistair Horne

A celebrated historian follows the history of Paris from Caesar to de Gaulle.

 

 

 

 

 

Paris: Capital Of The World by Patrice Higonnet; translated by Arthur Goldhammer

Not a factual history, but a fascinating account of city's rich mythology.

 

 

 

 

Paris To The Past: Traveling Through French History By Train by Ina Caro

Not enough time to visit the rest of France? Intensely passionate and knowledgeable about French history, Ina Caro offers an opportunity for a number of day trips back into the past.

 

 

 

 

 

Blood Royal: A True Tale of Crime and Detection in Medieval Paris by Eric Jager

When mad kind's lustful and scheming brother is brutally slain in the middle of Paris, there is no shortage of suspects. The task of locating the guilty party is entrusted to the provost of Paris, Guillaume de Tignonville. Authors meticulous knowledge of medieval Paris transports the readers into the narrow dangerous alleys, putrid smell of rotting copses of criminals on display terrify the witnesses and jog their memory.

While the science of detection is frequently attributed to a fictional character, the leading protagonist of this historical account of true crime in 14 century Paris exhibits amazing powers of deduction and skillful use of forensic evidence.

 

Paris: The Secret History by Andrew Hussey

If you would like to know how the other half of Paris managed to survive throughout famines, poverty, pestilence and political upheaval, this book will kep you informed.

 

 

 

 

 

A Passion for Paris: Romanticism and Romance in the City of Light by David Downie

This fascinating travelogue of Paris focuses on the nature of the city's eternal romantic appeal. If you wish to revel in the lives and loves of the famous Parisians of the last two hundred years, this book is a perfect guide to the capital of romance.