Travelers' Tales France

Travelers' Tales Guides

by James O'Reilly (Editor), Larry Habegger (Editor), Sean Joseph O'Reilly (Editor)

This newly designed edition of Travelers’ Tales France celebrates the culture, history, and joie de vivre of one of the most beloved — and most visited — countries on Earth. Acclaimed writers, including Peter Mayle, M.F.K. Fisher, Jon Krakauer, Mort Rosenblum, Alice Kaplan, and Jan Morris, who have fallen in love with France — with the food, the land, the irrepressible French people — provide a mesmerizing literary tour of this special place. Opening many windows onto France, this collection reveals the most important reason to visit: to experience life as it should be. “Pays homage to the good life, as defined by the French.” — Los Angeles Times

Genres: Travel, France, Short Stories, Anthologies, Nonfiction

528 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1995

About the author

James O'Reilly has been a traveler since infancy, and a storyteller almost as long. Born in Oxford, England, in 1953, he savors the early memory of walking as a five-year-old boy across the tarmac at Shannon Airport in Ireland and gazing up at the huge triple tails of the now-defunct Constellation aircraft. The smell of fuel and Irish fog and the amazing sight above him must have made a deep impression because he's been traveling willy-nilly ever since. After emigrating from Ireland to the United States, he grew up in San Francisco, where he was schooled by Jesuits, nuns and assorted yogis and eccentrics in the '60s. His eclectic education was formed as much by growing up in a large Roman Catholic family where he was the second of seven children as it was by being an omnivorous reader who was studying Eastern religion and meditation by his early teens. He traveled a great deal with his family - to Ireland, England, Scotland, and Canada - before heading off to Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where, among other things, he spent a semester in Salamanca, Spain.

At Dartmouth, James met his good friend Larry Habegger, with whom he has collaborated since 1982 on projects ranging from radio shows to mystery serials, newspaper and magazine columns to world adventure travel. Since 1985, O'Reilly and Habegger have co-authored the nationally-syndicated travel column "World Travel Watch." In 1993, they co-founded the publishing company Travelers' Tales with James's brother Tim, and have since worked on more than 100 books together, winning many awards for excellence, including the prestigious Lowell Thomas award for outstanding travel book. James has been an active member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) since 1990, and is a former board member of the Tibet Information Network.

James has visited over forty countries and lived in four. Among his favorite travel memories are visiting headhunters in Borneo, rafting the legendary Zambezi River in Zimbabwe, enjoying a meal cooked by blowtorch in Tibet, and hanging out laundry with nuns in Florence. He has made traveling with his own family a priority, and together he and his wife and three daughters have roamed all over Europe. He lives in Palo Alto, California, where he is usually conspiring to be somewhere else.

Reviews

[Laura Bang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many interesting glimpses of the places and people of France, with a wide variety of experiences to read about. The second to last section ("Part Four: In the Shadows") is a bit of a downer, but it still provides valuable insight into some darker events and issues (national memory, prostitution, and the unexploded remnants of wars).

Also, these stories were all written in the early 1990s and a lot has changed since then (even just at the broader global level of which I'm aware -- so I'm sure there have been significant national changes as well), so I had to keep reminding myself of the time frame being highlighted. (I wish they'd do a new edition with new stories. This was re-copyrighted in 2002, but that was just for the introduction and the "guide" at the end.)

I love the Travelers' Tales series. They always have an excellent selection of stories (I don't think I've read one with a story I truly disliked in it) and while they may not be the kinds of experiences I will have should I ever venture to the country or city in question, I still find the stories delightful, exhilarating, interesting, and/or inspirational.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I happily discovered this book on a Powell's bookshelf in Portland, Oregon, and wandered into some great essays about life/travels in France. At the time I didn't realize there was a whole series of Travelers' Tales and so was content with reading and rereading my favorites in this little gem of a book. One by one I have come upon other Travelers Tales - some are good, some not so much. That probably depends upon my interest in and knowledge of the area rather than the writing skills of any particular author. It's always a good idea to casually check out a few of the essays before any major purchase decision.

Maybe since it was the first, Travelers' Tales France has remained my favorite.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this in preparation for an upcoming trip to France. It's a collection of stories by various travelers, some well known and some not. The stories range from ramblings up and down Paris's "sex street" ("White Nights by St-Denis) to travels with the demineurs (accent over that first "e"!) in "Remnants of Hell". Demineurs are the group of 123 men charged with cleaning up the millions of tons of unexploded ordinance that remain in France.

There are essays on more traditional travel destinations and occupations, too. I'm now in the "little knowledge is a dangerous thing" category of traveler!

A fun book to read, though, even if you do not have plans to travel. Your armchair will suffice.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to give this one to my mom shortly after reading it. It seemed to fit certain parts of her personality -- the overall impression of France its various stories gave me.

It was a terrific read, and it still sits in my mom's living room. But she's still never been there.

[Emily]

Recommend Paris: The Collected Traveler instead.

[Frank Shedd · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good some great articles some so-so articles

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

More reading in preparation for our trip to Paris this July. Found a couple more places to add to our Southern France part of the journey.