Product Description

A visit to a flea market can be the highlight of a trip to France: a lively encounter with everyday French culture, an exciting way to spend a few hours, and a chance to pick up a unique souvenir or add to a collection. The Flea Markets of France is the indispensable tool for getting the most out of your visit, whether you're a first-time visitor or an experienced shopper. Conversational and comprehensive, this guide will tell you everything you need to know about exploring markets all over France. Descriptions of markets and their specialties, as well as practical advice on visiting them, is augmented by notes on regional items, tips on bargaining and collecting, a glossary of relevant French phrases, and a useful rating system which gives an overview of each market. Much more than a simple listing of French flea markets, Sandy Price's warm suggestions of things to do nearby, places to eat, food specialties of the area, and local amenities are complemented by bits of history and cultural observations. Armed with this comprehensive guide, visitors to France will feel they are in good, reliable hands.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24392 in Books
• Published on: 2009-06-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 248 pages

Review
"Little Bookroom, part of the tweedy "New York Review of Books," publishes whimsical guidebooks to the civilized pleasures of Western culture capitals. "The Flea Markets of France" is the latest addition to the series, and undoubtedly one of the best. From Rouen to Paris to Avignon, Sandy Price lays out the fundamentals of those congregations for lovers of castoffs and forgotten treasures--glazed ceramic vases, rustic farmhouse furniture, Art Nouveau patio sets. The book has all the details you need to plan your own flea market Tour de France, including schedules, locations, notes about prices and offerings, tips on restaurants for a restorative repast, and other sites to visit nearby. The book is as satisfying a find as anything you'll discover amid the dusty heaps." --"Ralph Lauren Magazine"

About the Author
Sandy Price is an attorney living in Toronto. She has lived and traveled extensively in France. Originally from Toronto, Emily Laxer has spent several years in France. She attended college in Montreal, and most recently began a PhD in sociology at the University of Toronto.

Customer Reviews

A Must Read for Francophiles
The Flea Markets of France is an extraordinarily useful guide whether you are a regular flea market forager or a tourist interested in seeing a genuine slice of French life. This book, which is organised by region and contains a helpful rating system, provides practical advice to help you plan and get the most out of your flea market visits. It also serves as a wonderful travel guide and gives vivid colour to the regions and towns in which the markets are located and contains useful information about various local attractions and restaurants. This is a lovely book - both prose and photographs are beautiful - and one that I would highly recommend either for yourself or as a gift to a francophile friend.

A gem of a book!
Both stylish and informative, this high-quality book provides a very useful guide to the French flea markets. The focus is the regular markets which take place either on a weekly or monthly basis (the guide does not address the many once-a-year markets which are less relevant to the traveller or holiday maker). It is small enough to be tucked into a handbag or rucksack, yet pretty enough to be displayed on a coffee table at home. The gorgeous photographs and lively descriptions reflect the colourful and fascinating markets and the people who work there. The author obviously has a true passion for her subject! For a well-researched, well-written and charming guide to "off the beaten path" France, look no further.

No mention of Lille?!
At first sight, seems to review every market, big or small, throughout France. But there's a glaring ommission - no mention of the Braderie which takes over Lille for one weekend every September, the mother of all fleamarkets. Flummoxed, I can only think that this is because the Lille market is so vast it deserves a book all to itself ...and perhaps the author has one in the pipleine?