Book reviews

Only in Paris: A Guide to Unique Locations, Hidden Corners and Unusual ObjectsDuncan J D SmithBrandstatter, 2013 (ISBN 9783850337106)

If you love Paris...and idiosyncrasy, and off-the-beaten-track, and weird and wonderful, and 'I never knew that' and 'Did I really see what I thought I saw?' - then you must not go to Paris without this book.

This borderline-bizarre compendium of nooks and crannies gives you far more than you could ever hope to gain from a conventional travel guide; it does what it says on the tin, and then some.

Moreover, Duncan Smith is just the person to lead you by the hand, metaphorically at least, into a world where you can enjoy mint tea beneath a minaret, search for the bones of Louis XVI, or check out the curse of the Chateau de Vincennes.

Discover wonders of the East, a counterfeit museum, concealed courtyards and secret squares and even Monet's Soleil Levant...a Paris, in fact, of ancient ruins, eccentric museums, hidden communities and underground worlds....more than enough to organise your own expedition through the City of Light, in 98 easy chapters.