More
reviews from the critics : "These guides have all the virtues of the best Baedekers plus a modern lively approach that makes them extremely readable... And it is a fascinating work... aimed at the serious visitor keen to absorb the history and culture of Paris... In addition to an encyclopaedic knowledge of minutiae of Parier day by day Thirza Vallois reveals a lively manner and a delightful style. Entertaining at all times and full of erudition and historical anecdote she out-Baedekers Baedeker even at his best. Alan Smalley/Officier des Palmes Académiques Francophonie, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK
"Thirza Vallois has written an exceptional 'streetwise guide' to Paris, one
of the most exciting, enlightening, yet intimate books on Paris it has been my
pleasure to read."
"Apparently the book is a walker's guidebook, loaded with information on
history, art, culture, geography, topography, and divided into arrondissements
with walks in each. But, in point of fact, it is devoted to the meticulous deconstructing
of clichés which have clung to the city for the last 1,000 years. The reader
is required to confront a text which demands close attention and a wide cultural
background.
"Serous Parisophiles will welcome Thirza Vallois's Around and About Paris.
The author's exceptional eye for detail and an encyclopedic knowledge of history,
folklore, art and architecture are like having your own guide at every turn."
"Vallois gives a detailed account of the city's historical development and
of its individual quartiers (…) The reader can sit back and enjoy her enlightening
account of the city. She brings alive its sights, walks and gastronomic tradition
and punctuates her guide with anecdotes of famous residents." Simon Bates who interviewed the author on Radio London said, he "loved the book [...] It's a read." The Interviewer on Spectrum Radio qualified it as "the definitive cultural companion to Paris."
Eurostar Magazine says about Volume 2, "This book, as much a historical portrait as a guidebook, destroys many of the myths about French history and in exchange gives us an insight into its past cultural and political life - as seen by a British writer." Geoff Andrew writing in TimeOut on the second volume: "It's in no way a directory for tourists (get the TO Paris guide for that), but with its wit, erudition and lively writing, it knocks most books on the City of Light for six." 10-17 July 1996. "These guides are different. They take you on specific walks with the aid of little maps (sometimes too little) and open almost every door you pass, bringing you the stories behind them. As histories, their wealth of information, from architecture to folklore, is staggering... Walking with Vallois will make this lovely but often standoffish city seem so much more accessible and even friendly." Meir Ronnen, The Jerusalem Post, June 1996 on Volume 1 and Volume 2. "For in-depth coverage of the sights, sounds and smells of Paris, nothing tops Thirza Vallois' "Around and About Paris" books... You can wear out your feet before you get through these two volumes, but you would be so entertained you wouldn't even notice." Janet Delong, The Paris Free Voice July & August 1996.
Vincent Ramelli |
The
Times (London) writes about Volume 3: "...takes you through Haussmann's Paris,
bringing its history to life in a wealth of detail, just as the author did for
her earlier books. This volume leads you to many of the "secret places"
of Paris, from the old vineyards of Vaugirard to the couscous restaurants of Belleville."
Beni
Ziffer, Haaretz, Culture and Literature, 1 December 1995 
The
Times Literary Supplement, "This is the second of three guides to Paris;
it covers the 8th to the 12th arroniddements. (...) Thirza Vallois introduces
each of these arrondissements with a chapter on its history and character (...).
This is followed by guided tours for interesting spots, their historical asociations,
their present appearance and how to locate them. The modern city is constantly
peeled back to reveal layer upon layer underneath (...). For anyone wholoves Paris
and would like to know more about its historical and literary associations, this
is a well-written and astonishingly informative companion." 
www.wfi.fr/vallois/press.html