Paris Hotels Travel :: Paris by Metro: An Underground History

Paris by Metro: An Underground History

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Manufacturer: Interlink Books

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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 388.4280944361
EAN: 9781566566469
ISBN: 1566566460
Label: Interlink Books
Manufacturer: Interlink Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 70
Publication Date: 2006-04-30
Publisher: Interlink Books
Studio: Interlink Books

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Editorial Reviews:

What was the original name of the Place de la Concorde? Why was the Tuileries palace so called and when was it destroyed? Who built the Palais Royal?

Find the answers to these questions and many others in this fascinating new book, which gives you the history behind the names of all the Metro stations in Paris. Arnold Delaney's text is full of illuminating insights into hidden corners of the history of the world's most elegant city. The text is complemented by color photography that takes a slightly idiosyncratic look at the city as well as giving a taste of the quintessential design and feel of the Metro system.

"Not only travelers but Parisians will have the Paris Metro explained by perusing this book in ways they never have before... An absolutely essential guide to really knowing Paris." -Robert Cole author of A Traveller's History of Paris

Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating:

Summary: Very small book with snippets of trivia
Comment: I should have paid more attention to the product description and noted how many (or few) pages were in this book. I thought perhaps it might be a fascinating in-depth study of the Paris subway system, similar to Chrisian Wolmar's excellent "The Subterranean Railway" (about the London underground). I was wrong. It's a very thin hardback in which the author gives short (usually 1 paragraph) stories of how each Metro station got its name. The book is organized by the numbers of the subway lines, and contains some nice color photos (but there could have been much greater variety). I learned some interesting facts about the people and places who have been immortalized in the Metro, but I expected a lot more. No history of the Metro itself, and many stories that could have been fleshed out in more detail. This could easily have been an extra chapter stuck at the back of a Rick Steves travel guide, rather than a separate book.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Loaded With Trivia, But Not Trivial
Comment: Delaney's Paris By Metro is nothing short of an etymological delight! The book has a brief description of EVERY Paris Metro station and although it checks in at only about 70 pages it is loaded with information.

I've been to Paris several times and using the Metro is always one of my favorite experiences. I've caught myself on more than one occasion wondering from where these strange and foreign names for the stations were derived. Chemin Vert, Oberkampf, Varenne, and a host of others were just as mysterious when leaving Paris as they were when I arrived. But with this book all the mysteries have been solved!

There is no "Look Inside" feature as of yet for this publication so I'll give you a few of the details of the layout of the book.

It's very portable, nice looking, and weighs next to nothing. A traveller could probably fit it into a back pocket, but I think it's more suitable for a backpack or a purse. The first several pages deal with some of the particulars of using the Metro. You'll find a clear 2 page color map of the entire Metro, a brief explanation of how to use the system, a brief description of the different types of trains, lists of places to visit and shop that are easily accessible by the Metro, and a method for understanding the different terms used in France for various types of roads, streets, squares, and plazas.

The heart of the book begins on about page 7 with a chapter devoted to Line 1, followed by 13 additional chapters, averaging about 5 pages each which ultimately cover all 14 Lines of the Paris Metro. The entries are very concise, and I'll give two examples here using the aforementioned stations:

On page 49:

Line 8
Chemin Vert
The name (green path) derives from the fact that the street in question passed through the market gardens in existence a few centuries ago.

On page 32:

Line 5
Oberkampf
Born in Bavaria in 1738, Christophe Philippe Oberkampf was one of France's leading linen printers and was an important figure in the cotton industry.

As you can see, the entries are very matter of fact and although some are a bit longer than these examples most are very short and to the point like the ones above.

This book may not be for everyone, but anybody who loves the Paris Metro and is intrigued by the names they see on the system map will surely enjoy reading this book. It's also the kind of book that drops names for further research. It's a great gift idea for a Francophile or somebody who is planning a trip to Paris. Maybe you should just get it for yourself, you know, something to have around your home when you're longing for the most magical city in the world.

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