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Paris > Book reviews
> Through the Windows of Paris
Through the Windows of Paris:
Fifty Unique
Shops
Book Review
Through the Windows of Paris:
Fifty Unique Shops
Photos and Text by Michael Webb
Balcony Press (Dist: Princeton Architectural Press)
Paperback, 132 pages
ISBN 1-890449-02-4
Paris has long been a magnet for
shoppers. Whether you're looking for haute couture or hot
croissants, you're likely to find a cornucopia of choices in a city where
the essence of France is expressed through the expenditure of euros.
With diversity comes a challenge, however: Where do you find unusual or
interesting shops amid the clutter of Parisian retail outlets? One solution is
to read Michael Webb's Through the Windows of Paris: Fifty Unique Shops,
a handsome book of photos and store descriptions from Balcony Press.
In his introduction, Webb writes:
"You, dear reader, probably love to shop. I confess I used to
regard it as a disagreeable chore, and I entered these boutiques in mortal
fear that I should make some extravagant purchase or be thrown out for merely
browsing. Instead, I was welcomed and invited to linger and chat. Most of the
owners I met felt they were performing a labor of love. They cared
passionately about the authenticity of what they sold, and were eager to tell
me how it was made or where they had found it. My French improved
dramatically, and I was enjoying my free lessons in French civilization.
"The one unpleasant experience in a month of showing up
unannounced with my camera was at Ladurée, the tea room-patissérie on
the Rue Royale. A white-coated member of the staff ran towards me, accusing me
of sneaking a picture from the sidewalk and--discovering I was born in
England--screamed "vache follé! vache follé" (mad cow! mad
cow!). It semed a small annoyance among so many rewarding encounters."
Webb goes on to explain the criteria behind his shop selections:
"Reluctantly I omitted some legendary names: Hermès, Louis
Vuitton, and the haute coutoure are decidedly French, but they have become
multi-national corporations that sell the same goods in the same manner, from
London to Tokyo....I looked for emporia that had been around for a long
time--355 years in one case--or which had recently decided to buck the trend
towards profitability by embracing some eccentric specialty."
The shops in Through the Windows of Paris include
bakeries and patisséries, wine merchants, antique stores, clothing
boutiques, musical-instrument dealers, art supplies, and more. For a sample of
the book's shop profiles, go to the excerpt
on the next page. (You'll also find a reproduction of the book's back cover,
which you can click to see an enlarged version that shows pictures of seven
Parisian storefronts more clearly.)
Our recommendation: Buy Through the Windows of Paris
if you're a serious shopper or window-shopper, then carry it with you to Paris
or. Better yet, purchase the book and copy the store names, addresses, and business
hours into a pocket notebook or onto your smartphone for reference during your trip. That way, you'll
have an attractive and unbattered souvenir of your shopping expeditions waiting
for you when you get home.
Next page:
Excerpt
and back-cover photos
Book cover, photos, and text
excerpts:
Copyright © Michael Webb and Balcony Press
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