Walks through Napoleon & Josephine’s Paris by Diana Reid Haig

This year marks the 200th anniversary of Napoleon’s coronation as emperor of France. With this beautifully illustrated, pocketable guide in hand, slip back through the centuries and into one of the greatest love stories of all time, set against the panoramic sweep of French history. For the first time, the dramatic story of Napoleon and Josephine is told through walking tours that lead the reader to the sites where the star-crossed romance unfolded—from the prison where Josephine was held during the Terror to Notre Dame, where the majestic Coronation took place (with one notable gaffe: Napoleon’s vicious sisters, who despised Josephine, intentionally dropped her train, causing her to nearly fall backwards down the stairs).

Four walks lead readers from iconic landmarks such as the Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre to the site of the Blue Dial, a seedy boarding house on the Seine where Napoleon lodged as a penniless young officer. Walks are organized geographically and encompass the couple’s early years and courtship, their marriage, their coronation route, and the route taken by Napoleon’s funeral cortege. Shops and restaurants frequented by Napoleon and Josephine, including jewelers, cafes, and a chocolatier, are featured. Two day trips are also included: to Malmaison, where Napoleon and his family played games of hide-and-seek by torchlight; and Fontainebleau, where Napoleon bid an emotional farewell to his troops before leaving for exile on Elba, and later returned in triumph just months before the devastation at Waterloo.
 
The many places of historical and other interest frequented by Napoleon and Josephine are among others:
 
- Notre Dame de Paris, where Napoleon and Josephine’s Coronation was held, 200 years ago this year, on December 2, 1804
 
- Church of Saint Roch, where Napoleon stopped a Royalist insurrection in 1795
 
- Palais-Royal, where Napoleon and Josephine often dined at the Grand Vefour; for decades, Napoleon also bought his trademark hat (called a bicorne) here.
 
- l’Arc d’Triomphe, which Napoleon commissioned in 1806.
 
- Place Vendome, where Chaumet, Mellerio dits Meller and Breguet are located. These three created numerous items for Napoleon and Josephine.
 
- Church of Saint-Joseph-des-Carmes, underneath this church on the Left Bank lies the prison where Josephine was held during the Revolution
 
- the mansion where the couple were married
 
- their homes at Malmaison and the palace of Fontainebleau
 
– Versailles, information about the Grand Trianon, where Napoleon sometimes lived, as well as a listing of Napoleonic works at Versailles
 
– The Louvre, A listing of the museum’s paintings and works of decorative art pertaining to Napoleon and Josephine
 
– Napoleon 1er Museum at Fontainebleau, a listing of paintings and works contained in the museum
 
The elegant 7.25” x 5.25” Walks through Napoleon & Josephine’s Paris is a practical guide and a satisfying armchair read – the perfect gift for any occasion.
 
“Walks through Napoleon & Josephines’ Paris” costs $19.95 and is available at many Barnes & Noble bookstores. In New York it is also available at independent bookstores and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art gift shop.

Order from the publisher’s website LittleBookroom.com and get a 15% discount
 
Published by:
The Little Bookroom
1755 Broadway, Fifth Floor        
New York, NY 10019
 
Distributed by: Publishers Group West
 
About the author:
 
A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, Diana Reid Haig is an award-winning songwriter, annotator, and audio producer. Her credits include many successful reissues of popular American music, including an Elmore James boxed set that won the W.C. Handy award for “Best Historical Collection.” She has produced, annotated, or engineered almost 100 compilations, DVD-As or SACDs for Motown, NBC, Universal, SONY, Warner Bros., and other entertainment companies. A member of the Napoleonic Society of America, her lifelong interest in Paris during the First Empire led her to research and write “Walks through Napoleon and Josephine’s Paris,” her first book. She lives in New York City and Reidsville, North Carolina with her husband.

February 20, 2004   Posted in: France