The almost 200 entries in the addictive Everything (or Almost Everything) About Paris are a witty and sophisticated treasure trove of facts, histories, lists, records, quotations, and miscellaneous oddities that go well beyond trivia to include significant cultural information and an enlightening glimpse of Parisian life:
• An explanation of the Parisian chant of disillusionment: “métro, boulot, dodo;”
• Addresses and descriptions of vineyards within the city limits;
• Ten vintage aperitifs to order in bistros;
• Imaginary Parisian streets that appear in novels;
• The number of brothels, massage parlors, and “places of pleasure” listed in a 1922 guidebook;
• Famous poisonings that occurred in Paris;
• Mottos of the five greatest educational institutions in Paris;
• Fines charged for municipal infractions, from feeding pigeons (35€) to appearing nude in a public place (35,000€ and imprisonment);
• Histories of the cobblestones, the rooftops, and the trashcans of Paris;
• Names of the most famous can-can dancers of the mid-19th and early 20th century;
• The odd and scandalous history of villa Félicien-Fabre in the 16th arrondissement;
• Thirty significant paintings displayed in churches in Paris
…and much, much, much more.
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