I’ve got a pretty good handle on the kaleidoscope of travel guidebooks out there and what each offers. Several friends have authored guides, and I’ve long relied on Lonely Planet or Rough Guides to steer me through Shanghai or Istanbul, away from the madding crowds.
So, at the Phillips Collection recently, I was pleasantly surprised to stumble on a guidebook series I’d never seen before: the This Is… city series for kids, created 50 years ago by Czech author/illustrator Miroslav Sasek.
Sasek’s first guide, This Is Paris, pays homage to the city’s concierges, waiters, flower vendors and artistes in charming watercolors, from the Jardin du Luxembourg to the steps of the Sacre-Coeur. Issued in 1959, it’s a little dated now– Parisian gendarmes no longer wear capes or ride bicycles– but it captures the spirit of the city with a child-like wonder that holds up over time.
In fact, it makes Paris seem like one big adventureland, Moroccan carpet-sellers, dog cemeteries and all. A great gift for anyone with a jones for all things Gallic.
I’ve now got a copy resting comfortably next to my Lonely Planet Vietnam.
Sasek’s This Is Paris, This Is London, and This Is San Francisco are available in the Phillips Collection gift shop, and also on Amazon.
