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The Most Beautiful Walk in the World: A Pedestrian in Paris Paperback – Illustrated, May 24, 2011
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“Splendid... Reading The Most Beautiful Walk in the World is the next best thing to a Paris vacation.” –Boston Globe
“Anyone who loves Paris and loves to walk will feel this book was written just for them.” –USA Today
In this enchanting national bestseller, acclaimed author and long-time expat Paris resident John Baxter draws on his experience guiding "literary walking tours" through the city to proved a delightful walker's guide to France's capital. Baxter sets off with unsuspecting tourists in tow on the trail of Paris's legendary artists and writers of the past. Along the way, he tells the history of Paris through a brilliant cast of characters: the favorite cafés of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and James Joyce; Pablo Picasso's underground Montmartre haunts; the bustling boulevards of the late-nineteenth-century flâneurs; the secluded "Little Luxembourg" gardens beloved by Gertrude Stein; the alleys where revolutionaries plotted; and finally Baxter's own favorite walk near his home in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
- Print length298 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateMay 24, 2011
- Dimensions5 x 0.8 x 7.12 inches
- ISBN-100061998540
- ISBN-13978-0061998546
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“One of the smartest nonfiction titles for summer reading ... Baxter tracks both the city’s history and the many celebrated figures who have savored the art of walking in one of the world’s most beautiful capitals.” — Christian Science Monitor
“A lovely book ... Full of unexpected pleasures ...Parisians claim that walking walking around Paris is an art form in itself, and Baxter proves them right. — Chicago Tribune
“A man with a great appreciation of what makes Paris tick.” — Newsday
“We are the beneficiaries of John Baxter’s considerable, vivid love for the expatriate life in Paris. ... The Most Beautiful Walk in the World is as close as a reader can get to the feel of a languid spring walk along Baron Haussmann’s boulevards.” — Los Angeles Times
“Anyone who loves Paris and loves to walk will feel this book was written just for them. ... Charming.” — USA Today
“A splendid memoir ... Reading The Most Beautiful Walk in the World is the next best thing to a Paris vacation.” — Boston Globe
“Fabulous . . . the perfect companion for anyone inspired to hop over to France after seeing Midnight in Paris” — NPR.org
From the Back Cover
Thrust into the unlikely role of professional "literary walking tour" guide, an expat writer provides the most irresistibly witty and revealing tour of Paris in years.
In this enchanting memoir, acclaimed author and long-time Paris resident John Baxter remembers his yearlong experience of giving "literary walking tours" through the city. Baxter sets off with unsuspecting tourists in tow on the trail of Paris's legendary artists and writers of the past. Along the way, he tells the history of Paris through a brilliant cast of characters: the favorite cafés of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and James Joyce; Pablo Picasso's underground Montmartre haunts; the bustling boulevards of the late-nineteenth-century flâneurs; the secluded "Little Luxembourg" gardens beloved by Gertrude Stein; the alleys where revolutionaries plotted; and finally Baxter's own favorite walk near his home in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
About the Author
John Baxter has lived in Paris for more than twenty years. He is the author of four acclaimed memoirs about his life in France: The Perfect Meal: In Search of the Lost Tastes of France; The Most Beautiful Walk in the World: A Pedestrian in Paris; Immoveable Feast: A Paris Christmas; and We'll Always Have Paris: Sex and Love in the City of Light. Baxter, who gives literary walking tours through Paris, is also a film critic and biographer whose subjects have included the directors Fellini, Kubrick, Woody Allen, and most recently, Josef von Sternberg. Born in Australia, he lives with his wife and daughter in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood, in the same building Sylvia Beach called home.
Product details
- Publisher : Harper Perennial; Illustrated edition (May 24, 2011)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 298 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0061998540
- ISBN-13 : 978-0061998546
- Item Weight : 8 ounces
- Dimensions : 5 x 0.8 x 7.12 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #618,808 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #713 in General France Travel Guides
- #1,942 in Travelogues & Travel Essays
- #18,921 in Memoirs (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

John Baxter was born in Sydney, Australia, but raised in a small country town called Junee. With little else to do, he went to the movies three times a week for most of his adolescence, which provided an instant education in Hollywood movies with which he was often able to embarrass film celebrities ("You SAW that thing?")
His second interest, however, was science fiction, which he began writing in his late teens. He sold stories to the same British and American magazines as J.G. Ballard and Thomas M. Disch, and in 1966 his first sf novel, THE GOD KILLERS, was published in both the US and Britain. He also edited the first-ever anthologies of Australian science fiction, and wrote the first history of the Australian cinema.
In 1969, he came to Europe, settled in London, and began writing books on the cinema, including a biography of the director Ken Russell, and studies of John Ford, Josef von Sternberg and the gangster and science fiction film genres, and working as an arts journalist for various magazines, and for BBC radio. He also served on the juries of European film festivals.
In 1974 he was invited to become visiting professor at Hollins College in Virginia, USA, where he remained for two years. While in America, he collaborated with Thomas Atkins on THE FIRE CAME BY; THE GREAT SIBERIAN EXPLOSION OF 1908,and wrote a study of director King Vidor, as well as completing two novels, THE HERMES FALL and BIDDING.
Returning to London, he published the technological thriller THE BLACK YACHT. In 1979 he moved to Ireland, and the following year returned to Australia, where he co-scripted the 1988 science fiction film THE TIME GUARDIAN, starring Carrie Fisher and Dean Stockwell. He also wrote and presented three TV series on the cinema, and produced and presented the ABC radio programme BOOKS AND WRITING.
In 1989 he moved to Los Angeles, where he worked as a screenwriter and film journalist. The following year, he met his present wife, Marie-Dominique Montel, and re-located in Paris.
After moving to France, John published biographies of Federico Fellini, Luis Bunuel, Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen, Stanley Kubrick, George Lucas and Robert De Niro, as well as five books of autobiography, A POUND OF PAPER: CONFESSIONS OF A BOOK ADDICT, dealing with his fascination for collecting books, WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS: SEX AND LOVE IN THE CITY OF LIGHT, of which the SUNDAY TIMES of London wrote "it towers above most recent memoirs of life abroad," IMMOVEABLE FEAST: A PARIS CHRISTMAS, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WALK IN THE WORLD: A PEDESTRIAN IN PARIS, and THE PERFECT MEAL. IN SEARCH OF THE LOST TASTES OF FRANCE.
John has co-directed the annual Paris Writers Workshop and is a frequent lecturer and public speaker. His hobbies are cooking and book collecting. He has a major collection of modern first editions. When not writing, he can be found prowling the bouquinistes along the Seine or cruising the Internet in search of new acquisitions.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find this book to be a delightful read that provides insightful guides to Paris, with amusing anecdotes and easy-to-read writing style. They appreciate the historical content and character development, with one review noting how it weaves in stories about famous people who lived in the city. The story quality receives mixed reactions, with several customers finding it unengaging, and while some consider it a must for Francophiles, others note it's not a typical travel guide.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book to be a delightful and stunning read that is worth their time.
"...all of those books, collected over the last 45 years, this stunning book is the best one by far. "Paris is a Moveable Feast" that lives..." Read more
"...indeed it lives up to those descriptions and is very well written, interesting, and often funny...." Read more
"...for those who have faced a group expecting an enlivening, engaging tour or presentation...." Read more
"...By the title, The Most Beautiful Walk in the World - A Pedestrian in Paris, one would expect the author to write about walks in Paris...." Read more
Customers find the book provides insightful guides to Paris, with one customer noting it offers a unique view of the city.
"...I hope that this little book may infuse Paris into your soul! This book can take you there. Enjoy! Professor Mark Daniels..." Read more
"...Baxter offers a number of interesting contextual insights into urban life, and why Paris is a walking city, while so many other cities are not...." Read more
"...Rather this book reminisces on the myriad walking opportunities in Paris and the cultural and historical items of significance one might encounter...." Read more
"...The book celebrates the seasons, neighborhoods and history of Paris in a charming, easy to read format. We were enchanted...." Read more
Customers find the book entertaining, particularly as an armchair travel experience with amusing anecdotes, and one customer describes it as a delightful reprise of past pleasures.
"...up to those descriptions and is very well written, interesting, and often funny...." Read more
"...We were enchanted. It's also great fun for the armchair traveler, or those who can't wait to go back to this wonderful city. Highly recommend." Read more
"...This is an easy, relaxing book that makes no demands on the reader; it is simply an enjoyable armchair escape, and highly recommended." Read more
"...And Baxter’s Aussie humor is quite fun." Read more
Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, finding it well-crafted and easy to read, with one customer noting its conversational tone and another mentioning how it makes the reader feel immersed in the place.
"...And indeed it lives up to those descriptions and is very well written, interesting, and often funny...." Read more
"...the seasons, neighborhoods and history of Paris in a charming, easy to read format. We were enchanted...." Read more
"...is a long time resident, married to a French woman and apparently fluent in French. He also works part time as a guide...." Read more
"...Conversationally written, it is a good book to read BEFORE visiting Paris, but don't expect it to be a guide to the tourist locations but more of a..." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's historical content, with one customer noting how it provides insights into the city's history, while another mentions how it brings back personal memories.
"...walking opportunities in Paris and the cultural and historical items of significance one might encounter...." Read more
"...The book celebrates the seasons, neighborhoods and history of Paris in a charming, easy to read format. We were enchanted...." Read more
"...This book gave me insights - although I would agree it is not a guide to Paris especially for first time visitors...." Read more
"...His love for its history, the people who live there and lived there, it's architecture and grime is is both interesting and enthralling, and he..." Read more
Customers appreciate the character development in the book, which features important figures and famous people who lived in Paris, with one customer noting how it weaves together stories about historical characters.
"...be a guide to the tourist locations but more of a book of interesting trivia of famous people that have lived there, if only briefly." Read more
"Anglofiles as well as francophiles will enjoy the allusions to the famous authors who met in the well know places through whoih he has his readers..." Read more
"...this book will provide a fun history of it’s writers, artists and characters. If you aren’t going to Paris the book is just an easy fun read...." Read more
"...It's a mix of Paris, walking, author's live, famous people who lived in Paris, other book quotes etc. delivered in a delightful way...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the book's stories, with some finding them easy to read while others say they are not engaging and not terribly interesting.
"...This is an easy, relaxing book that makes no demands on the reader; it is simply an enjoyable armchair escape, and highly recommended." Read more
"...he is not a very interesting storyteller...." Read more
"...The author is a long time resident, married to a French woman and apparently fluent in French. He also works part time as a guide...." Read more
"...author sat in a study and came up with a very poorly executed, disjointed story that has more to do with the author than it does with the city of..." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the book's content, with some noting it's not a typical travel guide.
"...The under-prepared, accidental tour guide finds spectacular success because he comes to understand that finding a personal connection to Paris for..." Read more
"...This is not a guide book and is probably better suited to someone who has visited and walked Paris many times, revisiting the City of Light as an..." Read more
"Nice book. Read it just before leaving for Paris. It was more of a travelogue. Loved Paris, but this was not a must read before I went." Read more
"...I also like reading Paris books. This is not a book for first timers nor is it a book that will provide you with much practical tour information, if..." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2025When I was young I was fortunate enough to be able to twice visit the City of Light. Since then books on that enchanting city have come to stretch across 47 inches of the shelves of my bookcases. Of all of those books, collected over the last 45 years, this stunning book is the best one by far.
"Paris is a Moveable Feast" that lives within me, a part of me forever. I hope that this little book may infuse Paris into your soul! This book can take you there. Enjoy!
Professor Mark Daniels
US Navy PACE, Retired.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2011I've just read several of the other comments and was a little puzzled, did we read the same book? Mr. Baxter
delivered just what the book title and jacket describes: a pedestrian in Paris, a memoir of the author who gave 'literary
walking tours," and his version of 'the most beautiful walk in the world." And indeed it lives up to those descriptions and is very well written, interesting, and often funny.
Yes, it's not a travel book of Paris, but it didn't purport to be one. And yes, I certainly agree that if you put a map in the book, ensure that it is correct. But don't let those things detract from reading a pleasurable and satisfying memoir.
I've visited Paris twice, so I'm not an expert by any means, however Mr. Baxter's 'walks' have given me loads of information for a literary walking tour when I visit again.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2012Anyone who has ever stood in front of a group expected to provide a vivid, engaging, and memorable explanation as an "expert" will connect with John Baxter. What John Baxter provides in "The Most Beautiful Walk . . ." is much more about connecting his "clients" to Paris than it is about the tourist checklist. He becomes the "accidental" tour guide, brought in as the rookie substitute to replace the high-priced academic expert who has flopped with a group attending a high-priced literary seminar.
Baxter's own passions for Paris as a walking city provide the storyline for what is really a "Bad News Bears" story line. The under-prepared, accidental tour guide finds spectacular success because he comes to understand that finding a personal connection to Paris for his clients is what works. This starts with a discourse on the drug culture of the 1920s prompted by the chance sighting of a hooka in a shop window. The Ivy League tourists love the edginess. Baxter learns to bring something of Paris to his clients' interests. My favorite chapter in that vein deals with a couple of loud and boisterous women from Texas. Everything is bigger, better, more modern in Texas. Nothing catches their fancy until he takes them to the haunts where Hemingway, et. al., put on the free nosebag. Free food -- a buffet -- lights their fire, and they become converts to the cult of the Parisian literati. They are thrilled with the rest of the day. They found a connection.
Those who want to find a guide to Paris in Baxter's work certainly have better alternatives. Baxter offers a number of interesting contextual insights into urban life, and why Paris is a walking city, while so many other cities are not. Still, "The Most Beautiful Walk . . ." is really most suited for those who have faced a group expecting an enlivening, engaging tour or presentation. How do you "grab" that group and get them fired up, on your side, and ready to go? The book is a meditation on becoming a tour guide in Paris. How did he get his inspiration? How does he communicate it to his clients?
- Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2012As a Francophile, I looked forward to reading Baxter's book with eager anticipation. Unfortunately, my eagerness was not rewarded with the quality I had hoped for.
By the title, The Most Beautiful Walk in the World - A Pedestrian in Paris, one would expect the author to write about walks in Paris. In fact, out of 37 chapters, there are only about four such walks -- and the first walk begins on PAGE 94! Before that, we are treated to Baxter's attempt to LEAVE Paris (Chs. 1 - 5), a diatribe on LOS ANGELES, and a walkabout in AUSTRALIA (wasn't this supposed to be a book about PARIS???) Suggestion: just start on page 94.
Nearly all of the SHORT chapters have LONG quotes, paraphrases and/or borrowings from other more accomplished authors, such as Hemingway, Orwell, Adam Gopnick, Morley Callahan, John Glassco, Art Buchwald, and Noel Riley Fitch. As such, the book takes on the quality of an anthology, rather than an original work. Suggestion: if you want to read a quality work about Paris, read these other authors, as I have done (Gopnick also has a good, GENUINE anthology on Paris).
Baxter is an obvious Hemingway wannabe, considering his heavy reliance on A Moveable Feast throughout his book. But Baxter never quite manages to capture the spirit of the city as Hemingway and the other writers after him, despite Baxter's reliance on these other writers who do. Instead, he devotes a couple of chapters to Terence Gelenter, another undistinguished expat doing typical - and boring - touristy things - WHY???
Baxter is a cinephile and is eager to show off his knowledge by punctuating many chapters with irrelevant snippets about old movies. Unless you have an encyclopedic knowledge of old films, Baxter's asides will mean nothing to you, and really add nothing to the time and place of Paris. This leads to another problem with this book: a stream of consciousness writing style that is totally out of place for what is supposed to be a series of Hemingway-like vignettes. Some examples:
"Narrow Streets and crowded tenements lent themselves to house-to-house warfare. They pestered him for broad avenues . . ." (Huh? "They" pestered "him?" The narrow streets pestered somebody??? The tenements pestered somebody???)
"And passing the shop selling travel souvenirs, I noticed that its stock included modern copies of antique tins. After work, the laundresses returned to Montmartre." (What? How did we get from souvenirs and tins to laundresses???)
"Even though it was Sunday, dozens of men stood silent on the opposite corner. Edmund White came here in May 1981 to stay with friends." (Huh? How did we get from present day 2012 to 1981 in the course of two sentences???)
In sum, Baxter heavily borrows from others because (in the opinion of one who has read many books on Paris) he is not a very interesting storyteller. The best chapters are his four walks -- at least there we have some originality. I give the book a generous "C."
Top reviews from other countries
- GruoneReviewed in Germany on March 31, 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT
Very good book . I would buy this book again and truly recommend it to Paris lovers. I had a Fast delivery and nice communication with the seller!
- Isobel Rufus-HenryReviewed in the United Kingdom on May 10, 2012
5.0 out of 5 stars An entrancing book to spend a few days with . . .
This not Wainwright's Paris. If you are looking for a series of walks with the mileage and the main features outlined, look elsewhere. It is also not a tourist guide to Paris or a history of Paris - I'm finding this quite a difficult book to describe. I think I'm going to go all whimsical:
Imagine you are in a bar in Paris, having met up with a friend you have not seen for some time. In mood, you are suspended somewhere between the second and third glass, mellow but still in charge of your faculties. He starts to tell you what he has been getting up to, describing his life in Paris, sidetracking off into anecdotes as they come to him, odd bits of history, jokes, gossip, the odd snippet about his family. You listen, entranced, because you are relaxed and the ambiance in the bar is great - and he is such a fabulous story teller.
So, I apologise for the whimsy, but it's the best way I can describe this book. It has whetted my appetite for Paris, A Moveable Feast by Hemingway and more books by John Baxter (already ordered!) It has also made me feel mellow and happy and not at all hungover. What more could one ask of a book?
- MalynkaReviewed in Australia on October 19, 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful read for those who love Paris
The last time I visited Paris I stayed for 2 weeks in a small studio apartment on Ile St Louis. I did and saw everything I wanted and felt fully sated. But, this book has me yearning to return and relish it more from an insider's view.
- Lana FoxReviewed in Canada on November 20, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars WONDERFUL READ ABOUT PARIS
John Baxter's immense knowledge and in-depth historical research of Paris provides the reader with a fantastic opportunity to stroll the streets of Paris from your most comfy chair. Has provided inspiration for
my next trip to Paris! Merci.
- ChristianeReviewed in Germany on December 19, 2013
1.0 out of 5 stars where are the walks ?
This book was a big disappointment : some interesting anecdotes, some bits of trivia but where are the walks ?
My question : why does every expatriate author writing about (their) life in Paris sound so unbearably smug ? Invariably, visitors to Paris are portrayed as herds of bumbling idiots who are totally "baffled" by everything Parisian and are incapable of finding their way around, taking the métro or ordering a meal - you would think they were writing about Outer Mongolia instead of a normal - if very beautiful - European city.
In this book the author's ego once again figures prominently and I'll definitely never read another "I live in Paris and you don't" book. Also, Mr. Baxter should maybe find out how foie gras is produced, though he probably knows and happily sacrifices animal rights on the altar of his endeavour to be more French than the French.