Le Forum - Your French bookshop in Australia

At once cosmopolitan metropolis and venue for a pensive stroll, Moloch and emblem of the modern, Paris has been a source of inspiration for countless artists and writers down the ages. But not least it is the home and constant muse of a relatively young art: photography. Since the earliest days of the daguerreotype right up to our time, renowned photographers such as Joseph Nicéphore Niepce, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau, and Jeanloup Sieff have lived and worked in the city of lights. Over the years a love affair developed between Paris and photography, giving rise to a remarkable record of the metropolis and a telling history of a new art form. This volume takes the reader on numerous walks, camera in hand, through the streets of Paris. Atmospheric black-and-white photos, shot by great photographers over two centuries, reveal the dramatic and the tranquil, the historic and the everyday—in the capital`s parks and gardens, boulevards and backstreets, passages and arcades, bistros and nightclubs.

Paris is not just the city of French classical style, but has now also become one of the leading centres of contemporary design and modern art. This book shows how subtly architects and interior designers combine these two worlds. It takes you to elegant lofts that were once cramped apartments, inside traditional buildings of the Haussmann era, where accessories from exotic places set the scene, and to glamorous showrooms in beautifully restored city palais. Paris – c'est toujours chic!

"Pierre et Gilles. Gilles et Pierre. Voici bientôt trente ans que le duo fonctionne. Pierre photographie, Gilles peint sur ces images. Il n'y a plus qu'à se laisser emporter dans un univers qui ne doit rien à l'outil informatique. Un monde onirique et kitsch. Un joli petit livre." - Arte News, Bruxelles

As sweet as raspberry ripple, as tempting as popcorn: welcome to the seductive photographs of Pierre et Gilles, the masters of glam, kitsch, nostalgia, and everything fabulous. Bizarre and full of obscure significance, glitter, flowers, and hearts, the portraits are reminiscent of stills from film melodramas.

This saccharine collection of kitsch encompasses selections of Pierre et Gilles's most delectable works on the recurring theme of sailors and the sea.

Robert Doisneau (1912-1994) is best known for his magical, timeless 35mm street portraits taken in Paris and its suburbs. Fresh, unstaged, and full of poetry and humor, his photographs portray everyday people (in everyday places, doing everyday things) frozen in time, unwittingly revealing fleeting personal emotions in a public context. Doisneau's gift was the ability to seek out and capture, with humanity and grace, those little epiphanies of everyday Parisian life. This book traces Doisneau's life and career, providing a wonderful introduction to the work of this seminal photographer.

Illuminating, engrossing and full of surprises, "The Discovery of France" is a literary exploration of a country few will recognize; from maps and migration to magic, language and landscape, it's a book that reveals the 'real' past of France to tell the whole story - and history - of this remarkable nation. 'With gloriously apposite facts and an abundance of quirky anecdotes and thumbnail sketches of people, places and customs, Robb, on brilliant form, takes us on a stunning journey through the historical landscape of France' - "Independent". 'Certain books strain the patience of those close to you. How many times can you demand: 'Look at this! Can you imagine? Did you know that?' without actually handing over the volume? This is such a book' - "Mail on Sunday". 'An extraordinary journey of discovery that will delight even the most indolent armchair traveller' - "Daily Telegraph".

\A richly illustrated biography of Napoleon, this book sheds new light on one of the most written-about figures in history. Napoleon's epic life and deeds are recounted in rare depth that will enlighten both casual history buffs and dedicated scholars. This full-color illustrated book contains a wealth of high-quality reproductions, including historical paintings, battle scenes, and period documents.