A Small City in France


Book Description

The town of Dreux--60 miles from Paris--made history in 1983 when Le Pen's National Front earned startling electoral gains in the region, establishing it as the forerunner of neofascist advances across the nation. A trained historian and the city's socialist mayor from 1977 to 1983, Gaspard offers us a picture of a particular town in a broad context.




One Hundred & One Beautiful Small Towns in France


Book Description

A celebration of the most enchanting hamlets in France, now available in a popular format. Gorgeously illustrated as well as informative, One Hundred & One Beautiful Small Towns in France is a tour through the pleasures of the French countryside, a place where the pace slows, locals engage strangers in conversation, and every town presents a unique set of curiosities waiting to be discovered. Whether you are an armchair traveler or a Francophile planning another trip, this volume is the guide to the hidden treasures of France that proves once and for all that the heart of this popular travel destination lies in the countryside far from the grandeur and pomp of Paris. Wander the serpentine alleyways of the rockbound coastal fishing villages in Brittany and Normandy; explore medieval masterpieces in Alsace and order flammekueche, this region’s thin-crusted pizza; spend a day in the Ile-de-France, the green surround of Paris, and visit the magnificent Château de Versailles, or the palace at Fontainebleau, a treasure trove of mannerist delights. One Hundred & One Beautiful Small Towns in France is a map to the heart and soul of the French countryside, complete with a full appendix of restaurants, hotels, and shops to aid even the most seasoned travelers and Francophiles.




Rick Steves Best of France


Book Description

Hit France's can't-miss art, sights, and bites in two weeks or less with Rick Steves Best of France! Inside you'll find: Strategic advice from Rick Steves on what's worth your time and money Short itineraries covering the best of Paris, Normandy, the Loire, Dordogne, Provence, the French Riviera, and Burgundy, including Versailles, Nice, the D-Day beaches, Côtes du Rhône, Monaco, Avignon, and more Rick's tips for beating the crowds, skipping lines, and avoiding tourist traps The best local culture, flavors, and more, including insightful walks through museums, historic sights, and atmospheric neighborhoods Trip planning strategies like how to link destinations and design your itinerary, what to pack, where to stay, and how to get around Over 400 full-color pages with detailed maps and vibrant photos throughout Suggestions for side trips and excursions Experience France's old-world romance and modern-day excitement for yourself with Rick Steves Best of France! Planning a longer trip? Pick up Rick Steves France, an in-depth guide perfect for spending more than two weeks exploring France.




World of Wanderlust


Book Description

What are the world’s greatest destinations? Where are the best places to travel solo? From airport fashion to road trip rules, professional traveller Brooke Saward shows us where to go, what to do and how to get that holiday feeling without even leaving home. Full of beautiful photographs that will ignite the imagination and featuring enduring favourites like Paris, New York, and London, this is the book that will inspire you to make every day an adventure.




The Routledge Handbook of Small Towns


Book Description

The Routledge Handbook of Small Towns addresses the theoretical, methodical, and practical issues related to the development of small towns and neighbouring countryside. Small towns play a very important role in spatial structure by performing numerous significant developmental functions for rural areas. At the local scale, they act as engines for economic growth of rural regions and as a link in the system of connections between large urban centres and the countryside. The book addresses the role of small towns in the local development of regions in countries with different levels of development and economic systems, including those in Europe, Africa, South America, Asia, and Australia. Chapters address the functional structure of small towns, relations between small towns and rural areas, and the challenges of spatial planning in the context of shaping the development of small towns. Students and scholars of urban planning, urban geography, rural geography, political geography, historical geography, and population geography will learn about the role of small towns in the local development of countries representing different economic systems and developmental conditions.




The Cave Painters


Book Description

The Cave Painters is a vivid introduction to the spectacular cave paintings of France and Spain—the individuals who rediscovered them, theories about their origins, their splendor and mystery. Gregory Curtis makes us see the astonishing sophistication and power of the paintings and tells us what is known about their creators, the Cro-Magnon people of some 40,000 years ago. He takes us through various theories—that the art was part of fertility or hunting rituals, or used for religious purposes, or was clan mythology—examining the ways interpretations have changed over time. Rich in detail, personalities, and history, The Cave Painters is above all permeated with awe for those distant humans who developed—perhaps for the first time—both the ability for abstract thought and a profound and beautiful way to express it.




Hierarchy in Natural and Social Sciences


Book Description

Hierarchy is a form of organisation of complex systems that rely on or produce a strong differentiation in capacity (power and size) between the parts of the system. It is frequently observed within the natural living world as well as in social institutions. According to the authors, hierarchy results from random processes, follows an intentional design, or is the result of the organisation which ensures an optimal circulation of energy for information. This book reviews ancient and modern representations and explanations of hierarchies, and compares their relevance in a variety of fields, such as language, societies, cities, and living species. It throws light on concepts and models such as scaling laws, fractals and self-organisation that are fundamental in the dynamics and morphology of complex systems. At a time when networks are celebrated for their efficiency, flexibility and better social acceptance, much can be learned about the persistent universality and adaptability of hierarchies, and from the analogies and differences between biological and social organisation and processes. This book addresses a wide audience of biologists and social scientists, as well as managers and executives in a variety of institutions.




Fodor's Essential France


Book Description

Written by locals, Fodor's travel guides have been offering expert advice for all tastes and budgets for more than 80 years. Unforgettable artwork, heavenly villages, and dream cities--there are so many reasons to visit France that deciding where to go and what to do can be a bit overwhelming. Fodor's Essential France takes the guesswork out of choosing the perfect French experiences by compiling the top choices chosen by Fodor's army of France-based writers. This travel guide includes: · Dozens of full-color maps · Hundreds of hotel and restaurant recommendations, with Fodor's Choice designating our top picks · Multiple itineraries to explore the top attractions and what’s off the beaten path · Side trips from Paris including Chartres, Versailles, and Monet's Garden · Coverage of Paris Neighbourhoods, Western Ile-de-France, Eastern Ile-de-France, Loire Valley, and Grenoble Planning to focus on just part of France? Check out Fodor's travel guides to Paris and Provence & the French Riviera.




Twilight of the Elites


Book Description

A passionate account of how the gulf between France’s metropolitan elites and its working classes are tearing the country apart Christophe Guilluy, a French geographer, makes the case that France has become an “American society”—one that is both increasingly multicultural and increasingly unequal. The divide between the global economy’s winners and losers in today’s France has replaced the old left-right split, leaving many on “the periphery.” As Guilluy shows, there is no unified French economy, and those cut off from the country’s new economic citadels suffer disproportionately on both economic and social fronts. In Guilluy’s analysis, the lip service paid to the idea of an “open society” in France is a smoke screen meant to hide the emergence of a closed society, walled off for the benefit of the upper classes. The ruling classes in France are reaching a dangerous stage, he argues; without the stability of a growing economy, the hope for those excluded from growth is extinguished, undermining the legitimacy of a multicultural nation.




Martyred Village


Book Description

A full-scale study of the destruction of Oradour and its remembrance over the half century since the war. Farmer investigates the prominence of the massacre in French understanding of the national experience under German domination.