Jumping on the e-reading bandwagon like Kindle (except without a keyboard), Orange and partners Le Monde, Le Parisien, Les Echos, L’Equipe and Télérama are joining together to offer a wireless, touch screen mobile e-newspaper reader that resembles a flat, black Etch a Sketch (sans knobs). They are still testing the product.

The Read&Go has a storage capacity of 1 Gb – more than 200 newspapers – and also contains a e-library of thirty or so books (literature, comic strips, children’s and practical publications, etc.) provided by Feedbooks, Médiatoon (Dargaud, Dupuis, Lombard et Kana) and Mango editions.

I’m still waiting for an e-reader for my Nintendo DS. I’d use that!

More info here (pdf)

[via]

Tags: france, orange, e-reader, kindle, newspapers, wifi, touchscreen

Just released! These Moleskine Van Gogh Special Edition Sketch Books are normally only available at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam but now you can get them at Amazon.

Just like the Moleskine notebooks that famous artists uses, each book is covered in colored silk and features 40 sheets of heavy duty off-white drawing paper. The trademark Moleskine pocket is in the back cover and there is a sturdy elastic band that holds the book closed when not in use.

Get one now:

Moleskine Van Gogh Special Edition Sketch Books

About Moleskine and related links:
Moleskine Notebooks are French Again
Sketched Paris Guide Book
2008 Limited Edition Moleskines are Out!
Sketched Paris Guidebook Part Deux

If you stroll through the Palais-Royal in Paris you’ll come across the shiny metallic fountain sculptures of Pol Bury, which are a welcoming sight and a nice example of old and new blending well with each other. However, you then stumble upon something else that only a crazed artist obsessed with black and white stripes could only dream of. Oui, I’m talking about the 260 striped marble pillars, which are part of a permanent sculpture installation at the Palais-Royal’s open courtyard where there previously was a parking lot. They sort of slap you in the face and leave welts of black and white on you. Forever.

You can thank contemporary artist, Daniel Buren, aka The Stripe Guy, for that striping striking monochrome art. You can also send a merci to Francois Mitterand, (may he rest …where ever he’s resting) - for having commissioned The Stripe Guy’s columns in 1985. Named Les Deux Plateaux (the two levels), it has a underground level covered by metal grilles. On this level water is supposed to flow and at night the columns/pillars are meant to be illuminated by floodlights. The upper columns are on the street level in the south courtyard.

Today, the lights don’t work and there is no water flowing happily beneath. In fact the water stopped about seven years ago. Instead of water, there’s trash. The Stripe Guy is not happy about this! He’s accused the French government of vandalizing his work with neglect and the pillars are dingy which makes the contrast of black and white less striping striking. Daniel Buren would like Les Deux Plateaux dismantled, as it’s really only half an art piece, with the working half in a state of disrepair. Dismantling it would cost about the same as restoring it (about € 3 million) but if restored, it would need regular maintenance. Is it worth it?

Ok, ok. So I’m not a huge fan. But, I do like how it looks from Google Earth.

Related: books: Daniel Buren by Daniel Buren (release date March 1), Daniel Buren, slideshow of the work-in-progress

Some are calling Kindle an amazing reading device from Amazon, but others, like French Designer Philippe Starck, have some issues with its design. I hate to admit it (seeing that Philippe Starck designed this) but I don’t find this digital book reader a very pretty designed gadget either. Watch the video here.

More about Kindle

A French court ruled that Amazon.fr must stop its free delivery.

The court gave Amazon 10 days to start charging for the delivery of books, which should at least allow the company to maintain the offer through the end-of-year gift-giving season. After that, it must pay a fine of €1,000 (US$1,470) per day that it continues to offer free delivery. It must also pay €100,000 in compensation to the booksellers’ union.

Retail prices, particularly of books, are tightly regulated in France. (read the article from MacWorld)

A Sidenote: Amazon France offers books in English!

We finally got around to seeing Ratatouille, which I think was one of Pixar’s best works on a variety of levels. But all-in-all, it’s essentially a very cute, heart-warm-and-fuzzy story with amazing production value.Now I (sort of) realize why the popularity of pet rats has exploded in France. Elsewhere too, I imagine. Eiuw, though.

Anyway, since it’s gift giving time, here’s another suggestion for a nice alternative to getting the DVD of Ratatouille.

How about getting instead: The Art of Ratatouille for the Ratatouille fan who is more artistically inclined? Perfect for someone who wants to take a peek behind the scenes.

The Art of Ratatouille includes more than 200 storyboards, full-color pastels, digital and pencil sketches, character studies, maquettes, etc. Also, quotes from the director, artists, animators, and production team reveal the genius at work inside the studio.

Note: There’s also a Limited Edition of The Art of Ratatouille for collectors.

These unique walking tour books will make great holiday gifts for the people passionate about Paris, its architecture, and history and who are interested in exploring places where famous writers, painters, kings and queens hung out in the City of Light.

Walks Through Napoleon & Josephine’s Paris allows you to see the Paris of today and yesterday, simultaneously. Not only can you visit some of the same shops and restaurants that the Emperor and Empress used to frequent, but you will also find yourself being sidetracked (time and time again) by other historical sites and famous places of today that you will inevitably pass along the way.

Walks Through Marie Antoinette’s Paris has photos that you may not have seen anywhere else, the information about Marie Antoinette is a history enthusiast’s treat. The size of the book, which adds to it’s charm, is suitable to take with you as it guides you along in the footsteps of Marie Antoinette.

The Impressionists’ Paris: Walking Tours of the Artists’ Studios, Homes, and the Sites They Painted allows travelers to venture beyond the museum walls and trace the footsteps of these great artists, including Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Edouard Manet, just to name a few. Three city walking tours–surprisingly manageable considering the city’s size–cover not only the sites depicted in many of their paintings, but also the studios in which they worked, the buildings where they lived, and–this being Paris–the cafes in which they gathered.

The Historic Restaurants of Paris: A Guide to Century-Old Cafes, Bistros, and Gourmet Food Shops First sentence of the book: Marcel Proust, who was transported back to childhood with the taste of a tea cake known as a madeleine, was among the early regular customers at this chic salon de the that faces the Tuileries Gardens…

Walks In Hemingway’s Paris: A Guide To Paris For The Literary Traveler 7 walks take the reader to every Hemingway (and Fitzgerald) site in Paris. The walks include wonderful quotations from many of Hemingway’s novels, short stories, and his memoir of Paris.

Picasso’s Paris: Walking Tours of the Artist’s Life in the City Pablo Picasso’s presence still can be felt in Paris. Four walking tours follow the painter from the gaslit garrets of fin-de-siècle Montmartre to the Left Bank quarter where he sat out the Nazi Occupation. Both art book and travel guide, this pocketable volume identifies the sites where Picasso created some of his best-known masterpieces and describes his celebrated circle of friends, among them Gertrude Stein, Henri Matisse, Jean Cocteau, and Coco Chanel.

Literary Cafes of Paris Away from the tourist throngs, the reader can people watch and sip for literally hours reflecting upon Hemingway at the Brasserie Lipp, Picasso at the Cafe de Flore, Shirer at the Brasserie Balzar and so much more.

Walks Through Lost Paris: A Journey Into the Heart of Historic Paris chronicles Paris’s great periods of urban reconstruction through four walking tours. With a special focus on the work of Georges-Eugene Haussmann, this book provides a history of each site along with the motives behind the urban redesign and the reactions of Parisians who witnessed it. Detailed maps take you through a city whose changes were captured by photographers and artists in each stage. Hundreds of color photos, diagrams, and engravings splendidly survey the massive transformation that resulted in the Paris of today.

Quiet Corners of Paris 81 often overlooked, always beautiful, locales: hidden villas, winding lanes, little-known 19th-century passages, serene gardens, and cobblestone courtyards. Some of the places have breathtaking views, others are filled with historic and architectural details, from stone archways, garden follies, boxwood mazes, ornamental statuary, stained glass, and Renaissance fountains.

It’s already December, which means you have a couple of weeks to get in all of your holiday shopping. I don’t mean to nag, but you should do that now, unless you like doing that last minute crazy psycho shopper madness. Since this is a site about France, I’ll be suggesting France/French related items. Here’s Part I. I got this idea from my very good friend’s 5 year old daughter, who fell madly in love with Paris and France after reading the classic children’s book, Madeline. I started looking for other books and DVDs about France for kids and came up with these:

This is Paris This is Paris takes kids on a really fun tour of famous buildings, beautiful gardens, cafés, and the Parisians-artists, and even thousands of cats. Young readers will travel along the banks of the Seine, through the galleries of the Louvre, and to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

The Little Prince Fun and Adventure Inspired by the famous tale by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, kids will discover a whole galaxy of board games, mazes, connect-the-dot puzzles, finger puppets, masks, coloring pages, and more activities - all the while learning about everyone’s favorite little prince.

Postmark Paris: A Story in Stamps Ten-year-old Leslie tells her story of living in Paris for a year, illustrating this appealing odyssey with postage stamps.

Monsieur Saguette and His Baguette Monsieur Saguette, on the way home, transforms his ordinary baguette into something extraordinary. (No matter how tempting it is to find an innuendo here, just remember this is really a kids story…)

The Magical Garden of Claude Monet A great way to introduce kids to famous artists, this is a story about a little girl who thinks that Monet is the gardener and is immersed in his gardens at Giverny.

The Truffle Hunter The story of an inept pig who is abandoned in the forest where she finds true love in the form of Raoul, a wild boar. Raoul teaches her the lost art of truffling, whereupon she returns to her home with a fine chef. But she has also learned the value of freedom.With charming style the book tells of problems that reveal hidden opportunities.

The Cat Who Walked Across France A cute cat in France travels through lavendar fields, palatial castles, canals, Paris and beyond.

Anatole A bicycle riding Parisian mouse named Anatole makes his living by tasting the cheese in a cheese factory and leaving notes about its quality. This story makes me wonder if it was the inspiration for Ratatouille.

Katie and the Mona Lisa Katie convinces a sad Mona Lisa to leave her portrait in order to regain her famous smile. Katie leads her to several other famous Italian Renaissance works.

Let’s Learn French Coloring Book This introduces kids ages 3 to 6 to every day French vocabulary using the same simple techniques that help children build vocabulary in their native language.

French for Children Cute, catchy songs and the humorous, serial adventures of SuperCat captivate the imagination and foster language acquisition. The set in the series contains an 80-page full-color activity book coordinated with two 60-minute CDs as well as a Parent/Instructor CD packed with helpful tips.

Click here for more kids books about France

From AFP:

An eye-popping array of rutting satyrs, tumescent aristocrats and lusty 18th-century shepherdesses went on display in Paris on Tuesday, as France’s National Library lifted the veil on its collection of long-censored erotica.For the first time since it was catalogued in the 1830s, the library’s special pornographic section — officially entitled ‘Enfer‘ (Hell) — has been revealed in all its priapic glory. Such is the graphic nature of the material that under-16 year-olds are barred.

Some 350 books, engravings, photographs and curiosities — the oldest a 14th-century manuscript illustration of a nun picking the fruit of a phallus-tree — bear witness to man’s insatiable instinct for the lurid intimacies of the flesh

Closed to the public before

Overall more than 2000 works — including books by the Marquis de Sade, Jean Genet and Guillaume Apollinaire — were marked with the library inscription ‘Enfer’ until the department’s closure at the end of the 1960s. It meant they were off-limits to the reading public.

“Today the ‘Enfer’ section is still the focus of all sorts of false rumours and fantasies, even though it no longer exists. This exhibition is to set the record straight,” said curator Raymond-Josue Seckel.

The first golden age of French erotica was the 17th century — when titanically-endowed figures from the Greek pantheon were shown doing things to each other that certainly did not figure in the conventional myths and legends.

A hundred years later the novel was born and a secret book called ‘Therese Philosophe’ (Therese the Philosopher) lay discreetly on many a nobleman’s bookshelf. Harbinger of the enduring ‘Confessions’ genre, it told of a girl’s sexual awakening through the perusal of pornography.

Cruelty, crime and obscene delights

Contemporary police documents show the troubles encountered by another novel, ‘The History of Dom Bugger’, whose publisher was sent to the Bastille. As indeed was the Marquis de Sade, whose ‘Justine’ published in 1791 brought sex into new contact with…

Continue reading

Note: The exposition continues at the Bibliothèque nationale de France until March 2, 2008. Quai François-Mauriac 75706 Paris (13th), Tél : 33(0)1 53 79 59 59 - Under 16-year olds are not permitted; 7 euros entrance fee; Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10am to 7pm; Sundays 1pm- 7pm.

American expat and Pastry chef, David Lebovitz, will be signing copies of his books, The Perfect Scoop and The Great Book of Chocolate in Paris tomorrow, Sunday, October 21. Please try to make it to this rare event. You can also bring your own books or purchase new ones on-site.

Where? Details are here

france booksigning david lebovitz paris

“For seventy years, a prayer book moldered in the closet of a family in France, passed down from one generation to the next. Its mildewed parchment pages were stiff and contorted, tarnished by burn marks and waxy smudges. Behind the text of the prayers, faint Greek letters marched in lines up the page, with an occasional diagram disappearing into the spine.

The owners wondered if the strange book might have some value, so they took it to Christie’s Auction House of London. And in 1998, Christie’s auctioned it off—for two million dollars.

For this was not just a prayer book. The faint Greek inscriptions and accompanying diagrams were, in fact, the only surviving copies of several works by the great Greek mathematician Archimedes…”

Read the full article

In conjunction with the French October 26 release of Harry Potter et les Reliques de la Mort (Deathly Hallows), the publisher, Gallimard, is organizing la Tournée du MagicoBus Harry Potter, a Magic bus tour that will stop by major cities in France to meet young Harry Potter fans. From October 17th through the 26th, fans will be able to take part in magical activities and games inside the bus. All participants will receive a poster. Three big winners per city will receive a diploma from Gallimard jeunesse and a collection of novels including the 7th Harry Potter tome. You must have a ticket to enter the Magicobus (Available at participating bookstores). Here’s the bus schedule:

Oct 17 - Lille - place Rihour
Oct 18 - Nancy - porte Desilles
Oct 19 - Lyon - place Louis-Pradel
Oct 20 - Aix-en-Provence - place Batard (Cité du Livre)
Oct 21 - Montpellier - esplanade Charles-de-Gaulle
Oct 22 - Toulouse - rue de Metz /rue des Arts
Oct 23 - Bordeaux - place dal Victoire
Oct 24 - Nantes - place de Bretagne
Oct 25 - Paris - rue Sébastien-Bottin
Oct 26 - Paris - parvis Montparnasse 9am / place du Châtelet 3pm

[via Univers HP]

Links: Gallimard, Official Press Release

Not that it’ll change anything or even prevent anyone from using this term, but a French Police Union is taking Le Petit Robert dictionary to court for including a reference to police as “connard de flic” (f*cking pig) in its latest 2008 edition. The union is demanding that this item be removed from the dictionary but the company Le Petit Robert states they, “would not under any circumstance allow its choices to be dictated by external pressures….it is not intended to disparage or dishonour anyone but to describe language in all of its richness and multiple usages, from its most elevated form to the colloquial.

[via]

Talented and silly illustrators world-wide were asked to contribute their take on the Mona Lisa at Nick Mag’s Magazine Gallery - but this prompted a Mona Lisa meme at Drawn! Submit your version of Mona Lisa there. [related: Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa Men Have Framed You]

The Rugby World Cup is fast approaching, beginning September 5 in Paris. What better way to commemorate your favorite francophone rugbyman or in this case rugbymen than with a 2008 calendar of your French Rugby players all naked!?? Does it merit the name, “Dieux du Stade Calendrier 2008” (Gods of the Stadium, 2008 Calendar)? I think so.

Who’s on this calendar jam-packed with French rugby players showing off their best assets?

- Christophe Dominici
- David Skrela
- Rémy Martin
- Dimitri Szarzewski
- Clément Poitrenaud
- Vincent Clerc
- Nicolas Jeanjean
- Ignacio Corleto
- Sergio Parisse
- Mirco et Mauro Bergamasco
- Geoffroy Messina
- Julien Arias
- Marcello Bosch
- Loïc Jacquet

This year the calendar photos were shot by Steven Klein, well-known for his provocative images - for example, could the photo of Brad Pitt in a very short Greek skirt (for his film, Troy) be indelibly engraved in your memory? Klein has also shot Madonna for years as well as other stars and athletes.

Order one now (26.60 euros (about $36), free delivery in France)

[via Dieux du stade (in French)]

Un Français, c’est un Italien de mauvaise humeur.
The French are Italians in a bad mood. ~ Jean Cocteau (French artist/filmmaker/poet/novelist - 1889 - 1963)

I don’t think the French find this quote particularly endearing…

Having nothing to do with travel but everything to do with France (albeit a France from the 50s), I thought this merited at least one blog post.

While some would find it to be just trash, we thought this old newspaper was a little treasure from the past, a peek into French life 50 or so years ago - and well, who doesn’t think that some found objects rule? I absolutely adore finding old newspapers (unless there’s something vile on it like poo or vomit). It doesn’t have a date on it but I think it’s from the 50’s based on the content. I’ll be posting little bits and pieces of it in the next few days.

YAY! I was SO HAPPY that the comics page was intact (click on the photo to enlarge it). Here’s a comic strip that was actually adapted from a book by the short story writer, Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) called, Notre Coeur. I guess France back then (at least in the comic strip world) was pretty literary; I mean, there’s a lot of text and it’s hard to compare it to contemporary comic strips of today. I wonder if kids back then even liked this comic strip. It’s not as fun as Calvin and Hobbs, afterall. Anyway. The actual book, Notre Coeur was published in 1890 and was Maupassant’s last book published while he was still alive. It’s a love story. But of course!

To read the free ebook of Notre Coeur by Guy de Maupassant, download it here. (from La Bibliothèque électronique du Québec)

From the LAist:

“Venerable French magazine Cahiers du cinema (yup, it’s still in existence) today launched its first English language edition, which will be available both in print and online for an annual fee. For $45, English-language readers will now be able to subscribe to a year’s worth of the magazine (11 regular issues + 1 special issue)…”

Read the full post

Tags: france, Cahiers+du+cinema, french, films, movies, critiques

From Teleread:

“…How can you read a paper book if you’re quadriplegic and can’t use your hands? And what if your only way of communicating is through blinking?

People with those and other disabilities, including visual impairments, are of special interest to us here at the Landowski Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine, France) in the western suburbs of Paris… Since 2001, with our special users in mind, we have…”

Read the article

Tags: france, french, ebooks, Boulogne-Billancourt, disabilities, Locked-in+Syndrome, Landowski+multimedia+library, Digital+Lbrary+for+Disabled+Persons, Bibliothèque+numérique+pour+le+Handicap

For what it’s worth, here’s a list of gift book ideas. I started this list way too late but it could be helpful to some of you who are very last minute shoppers in need of gifts for francophiles. (For last year’s lists of Gift Ideas for Francophiles click here: Part I, Part II & Part III)

Travel Guides
1. One Hundred & One Beautiful Small Towns in France by Simonetta Greggio
2. Lonely Planet France (2007) by Nicola Williams and Oliver Berry
3. France From the Air by Patrick Poivre d’Arvor, Catherine Guigon, and Yann Arthus-Bertrand
4. Provence Made Easy: The Best Sights and Walks of Provence and the French Riviera (Open Road Travel Guides) Paperback by Andy Herbach
5. Drive Around Dordogne and Western France: Your guide to great drives by Eric Bailey today

On Learning French
1. French: The Complete Language Course (Learn in Your Car) by Henry N. Raymond
2. French With Michel Thomas: The Fastest Way to Learn a Language (Deluxe Language Courses with Michel Thomas) by Michel Thomas
3. Rick Steves’ French Phrase Book and Dictionary by Rick Steves
4. Better Reading French : A Reader and Guide to Improving Your Understanding of Written French by Annie Heminway
5. 501 French Verbs: with CD-ROM (501 Verb Series) by Christopher Kendris and Theodore N. Kendris

On Paris
1. The Paris Cafe Cookbook : Rendezvous and Recipes by Daniel Young
2. The Historic Restaurants of Paris: A Guide to Century-Old Cafes, Bistros, and Gourmet Food Shops by Ellen Williams
3. Paris: An Architectural History by Anthony Sutcliffe
4. Antique and Flea Markets of London and Paris by Rupert Thomas and Egle Salvy
5. Alphonse Mucha: The Spirit of Art Nouveau by Victor Arwas

On French Things, History & People
1. Absinthe: History in a Bottle by Barnaby Conrad
2. The Cooking of Southwest France : Recipes from France’s Magnificent Rustic Cuisine by Paula Wolfert
3. JJacques-Louis David’s ‘Marat’ (Masterpieces of Western Painting) by Will Vaughn
4. Chanel: A Woman of her Own