Photographs by Christian Sarramon
Isabelle Rozenbaum
Text by François D'Humières

Synopsis: Packed with evocative photographs and perceptive texts that capture the beauty of France’s towns and cities as well as the atmosphere of la France profonde, this highly visual volume will be lapped up by anyone with a love of travel and photography.

From the café terraces of Saint-Germain-des-Prés to fields of lavender, from Christmas markets in Alsace to carefully tended vineyards, France is a country of a thousand sensations, impressions and memories.

Designed as an innovative mix of travelogue and armchair travel, the book is presented as an ideal photo album – the kind of album that everyone wishes they had the time or skill to put together, without sifting through crumpled leaflets or indecipherable family photos.

Christian Sarramon specializes in art, design and lifestyle photography. Among his other books are The Art of Living in the Mountains, In Our Grandmothers’ Gardens, A Passion for the Arts of the Table and Colour Lessons for the Home. Isabelle Rozenbaum has written many articles about French cuisine, and has published one other book, Vegetables. François D’Humières teaches literature.

Hot Brands Verdict
Thames & Hudson is celebrating its 60th Anniversary this year and this book is a wonderful example of its publishing at its very best. Even if you never leave your sofa you will feel that you have been on a journey, such is the power of this book. Full of rich and evocative photographs capturing the essence of France, it is an absolute joy! Many are double page spreads, from the country to the city, from château to farmhouse, from churches to cathedrals, from the spectacular sea to sea, this book will inspire and enthral you. It embraces all our passions, food, architecture, history, linked with thought provoking quotes and iconic images of French life. We loved the Simple Pleasures collection and the final section simply titled The French Touch, an elegant summing up of French style.

Whether you want to visit, or want a beautiful reminder of past visits this is a sumptuous book. Highly Recommended, it will be our book of the month for August.

France-A Sense of Place is available from all good bookshops and

http://www.thamesandhudson.com/en/1/9780500287927.mxs?93dad04cee9424c0747a9ca81a6cb55c&0&0&0

Buy France: A Sense of Place from Amazon.co.uk

Thames & Hudson celebrates Sixty years of making a splash
In May 2009, Thames & Hudson published limited editions of twenty specially bound, classic T&H titles to celebrate sixty years of proud independent publishing. Walter and Eva Neurath, emigre?s from Vienna and Berlin respectively, founded Thames & Hudson sixty years ago with the central objective of creating a programme of illustrated, non-fiction books that would educate, inform and entertain as a 'museum without walls'. Their mission has been overwhelmingly successful: the company’s reach extends beyond its London headquarters to offshoots in New York, Paris, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

You can now find T&H's books in the most far-flung corners of the globe - from Kazakhstan to Zanzibar and beyond. People often wonder where the company got its name - to this day, people still ring up asking to speak to either Mr Thames or Mr Hudson. The Thames and Hudson are, actually, the famous rivers of London and New York, and it was with the aim of fostering transatlantic relationships that T&H's founder, Walter Neurath, chose it. He picked the dolphin, a 'friendly and intelligent creature', as the company's logo to embody the spirit of the enterprise he was launching. The twenty anniversary titles have been carefully selected from the full range of subjects in the T&H publishing programme.

Groundbreaking works of art history such as Robert Hughes’ THE SHOCK OF THE NEW and David Hockney’s SECRET KNOWLEDGE sit alongside innovative publications at the cutting edge of design and architecture including THE COMPLETE ZAHA HADID, as well as titles on history, archaeology, fashion and gardens, such as DEREK JARMANS’ GARDEN.

There is also an anniversary postcard collection of classic T&H book jackets - one for every year between 1950 and 2009. The anniversary celebrations will also include high profile events at museums and galleries around the country and sponsored talks at all the major literary festivals. Thames & Hudson's independent status has always been at the core of its identity.

Congratulations to Thames & Hudson, one of our favourite publishers!