Boutique
Welcome to the Paris Gone By Boutique! Here you will find a curated collection of Paris history and travel related books and other items to nourish your love of the City of Light and her amazing past. Come on in and browse awhile!
The selections are updated often. Swing by regularly to see what’s new!
Unless otherwise noted, items on this page are sold by Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases of these items. See full details here.
Book Corner: A Moveable Feast
The inaugural PGB Book Corner selection is the seminal classic A Moveable Feast: The Restored Edition by Ernest Hemingway. Together we are exploring Hemingway’s Paris as we read through his famous memoir. Grab a copy and join us in 1920’s Paris!
Why the Restored Edition? This is the closest we can get to what Papa intended for his work. It includes previously removed or edited material and in-depth opening remarks from his family.
Check out the ongoing Book Corner posts here!
Or Click Here for all the Ernest Goodness on PGB!
Travel Guides
Travel guides are a key component to planning your trip and making sure you have a smooth vacation when you arrive. Plus, they help us dream when we are between journeys!
Kindle versions available, unless otherwise noted.
Paris Guides
Rick is my all-time favorite guide and his books have saved me from serious faux-pas more times than I can count! Updated for 2022-23.
Grab the Kindle Version here.
DK’s books are always gorgeous and now that they’ve dropped the high-gloss pages, they are a bit lighter in the luggage.
Stick with the print version, there is a reason the Kindle one is so affordable!
In the Frommer’s vs Fodor’s battle, I’m a Frommer’s girl all the way! I find this fills in the gaps between Rick and Lonely Planet.
Grab the Kindle Version here.
Lonely Planet, like Rick Steves, has saved my derrière more than once! And they are a great counterpoint to Rick, serving up a different point-of-view for everything from hotels to which sites are best for your interests.
And there is now a Kindle Version!
Another DK offering, this is more of a gift book than a put-in-your-bag guide. Hardbound and with vintage flair, it’s a stylish book to give to a Paris-bound friend or to yourself for your coffee table. And for dreaming over with a café au lait and croissant, of course!
As with the other DK’s, the Kindle version looks rather disappointing.
Michelin Green Guides are a unique series. Written from a French perspective (in English, don’t worry!), you will see Paris and France in a different way.
Note that this is the oldest book on the list (2018), so use it for dreaming and getting the insider peek and not for up-to-date, post-pandemic info.
No Kindle version at time of writing.
Paris In Your Pocket
For those who don’t want to carry a full guidebook.
Rick on the go! Full of photos and the distilled version of Rick’s knowledge.
This was last updated pre-pandemic in 2019. His website indicates a new one is coming summer of 2023.
Grab the (very low cost as of writing) Kindle Version here.
One of the most up-to-date of all the guidebooks on this list, Lonely Planet is guaranteed to give you the latest news and tons of recommendations!
Despite its newness, they have scheduled a new update for March 2023 (paperback only at time of writing).
For the current 2022 version, there is now a Kindle Version.
A more updated, petite Michelin guide, the new format is beautiful! Also updated just pre-pandemic, so use caution with the practical info.
No Kindle version at time of writing.
France
Wanting to go beyond Paris? France is full of amazing destinations!
Should you want to see all that La Belle France has to offer, Rick has you covered! Updated for 2022-23.
Grab the Kindle Version here.
Yep, more gorgeous photos for your travel day dreams!
Like the Paris book, avoid the Kindle version. The quality is low.
Like the other Lonely Planets, these are some of the most up-to-date guidebooks on the list. This is more for practical planning than French day dreams.
Grab the Kindle Version here.
Guides & Walks
Go beyond the practical travel guides and explore neighborhoods, guided walks, and more!
A lovely book to get lost in, either in Paris or from your armchair! The book features four historic walks through Paris, comparing vintage (mostly pre-Haussman) photos and the city today. Mr. Pitt provides history, commentary, and a passion for Paris that is hard to resist!
No Kindle version at time of writing.
John Baxter, professional Francophile, explores the quartier Saint-Germain-des-Pres in this fun and fascinating little book. If you love wondering around this famous neighborhood, this book is for you! Filled with vignettes, recommended sites, and a handy walking map.
Grab the Kindle Version here.
Love all the stories of Paris? Of course you do—you’re here on PGB! This charming book is full of photos and stories, organized by neighborhood and focused on the stories at specific locations throughout the city. It is best for the already initiated Paris-lover or someone with a good map to help visualize. My one complaint is there is no map included with the book. A small oversight for an otherwise great guide.
Grab the Kindle Version here.
Visions Of Paris
How can we resist gazing at the most photogenic city in the world?
A mélange of photos, drawings, and memories, this book takes you through an entire year in Paris (minus the weekends—we all need a break!). It’s a fun way to look at the city and introduced me to many hidden corners!
The Kindle version has bad reviews. The hardback is worth the investment!
One of Nichole Robertson’s charming photo books of Paris. This one focuses on Literary Paris, with images, quotes, and more to dive into the City of Lights history as a City of Letters.
Grab the Kindle Version here.
The Paris of the Past returns to us in this collection of photos by Eugène Atget. This book is a beast—weighing in at over 2 pounds and 600 pages! But I find myself lost in the pages perhaps a little too frequently…
No Kindle version at time of writing.
Love Cats? Love France? Me too! I picked this up at one of those très cher et chic lifestyle boutiques several years ago and it still makes me happy to flip through!
No Kindle version at time of writing.
Paris in spring and summer is a sight to behold! Enjoy all the floral glory in this stunning book. The photos are so engrossing, they make my sinuses a bit itchy! But it is worth it for this gorgeous book!
Grab the Kindle Version here.
History
It wouldn’t be PGB without some histoire!
An easy-to-read selective Parisian history book. Author Graham Robb has collected a number of historical vignettes from the 18th-century to the 20th centuries, highlighting important and obscure personalities and events throughout Paris. Informative and fun!
Grab the Kindle Version here.
Another popular “selective” history of Paris, with a very different tone. I would say this is for the more well-versed and scholarly reader, who is comfortable with the gender norms of older (especially British) authors. Its tone is like a time capsule but the information is so good, you don’t care!
Grab the Kindle Version here.
I love this book! McCullough gives us so much detail on what Paris was like in the 19th century. You can practically smell the city and feel like you are there! Plus it is an invaluable look at what that journey would have been like, going from the New World to the Old World. It will make you view your own journey to Paris in a whole new way!
Grab the Kindle Version here.
A much more light-hearted and breezy read, the prolific John Baxter brings us a collection of stories from Paris’s past. Perfect for a plane ride or the beach!
Grab the Kindle Version here.
Holiday Books
A modern classic by the beloved Aussie-in-Paris John Baxter. He recounts his misadventures cooking the all-important Christmas Feast for his new French in-laws while letting us in on the cultural details of this most sacred of family holidays. You’ll laugh, be enlightened, and leave hungry!
Grab the Kindle Version here.
Set primarily in WWI and told through letters and telegrams, we follow a small group of friends as the young men go off to war and the women are left behind to fight the war in a different way. While not set primarily in Paris, she plays a big role in the framing story set in the late 1960s. Bring the tissues!
Grab the Kindle Version here.
Of course, more Rick. 😀 Explore Christmas traditions from around Europe, including France, with gorgeous pictures that will transport you to abroad. And of course you’ll get your dose of Rick’s unique brand of observations of humor.
This is the companion to his PBS documentary of the same name.
The Kindle Version says that it has audio/video but I cannot confirm if they work ok.
In French. For children or the young-at-heart (and perfect for learners of all ages)! Puce (Flea, which is more of a term of endearment in French than English) is Santa’s smallest. She dreams of joining Santa’s reindeer, but she’s trop petite! Follow Puce’s journey in this cute Scholastic book!
No Kindle version at time of writing.
In French. Another one for the little ones or those of us working on our French. Join a fox, a squirrel, and a bunny as they get ready for Christmas in the Forest!
This one actually has a Kindle Version.
Pierre at the fabulous blog French Moments has put together this gorgeous and very extensive 500+ page book on French Christmas traditions, including photos and even recipes!
Note: This is for sale directly from French Moments.
James Bond In Paris
Love Paris? Love James Bond? Here we have the collection of novels that take the Literary James to Paris and to France! Want more? Check out the 007 Podcast Episode.
Update Jan 2023: Amazon’s publishing (and Kindle) license for the Bond Books expired in 2022. It seems we are currently in a weird Bond-less state publishing wise. Which coincidentally matches the movie franchise’s lack of a Bond. 🤔 At least in the UK, Ian Fleming’s estate will be releasing a new set in 2023.
These links will take you to whatever is currently available on Amazon. I’ll try to keep this updated as things change! We’ll just pretend the books are taking a nice Caribbean holiday…
Miscellaneous Books
Some books exist outside of categorization. Like a semi-autobiographical romance novella by Napoleon Bonaparte. Is it biography? Is it fiction? Is it just simply unexpected? Discover the randomness in this part of the Boutique!
Napoleon, yes the Napoleon, was a prolific writer. Here we have a semi-autobiographical novella (more accurately short story) about the soldier Clisson and his ill-fated love with Eugénie. Includes historical commentary to help put the story and its place in Napoleon’s life in perspective.
Have a book you would like to recommend? Or a comment on my selections? Let me know through the contact page or on Instagram!
