Paris France — Gertrude Stein

Matched only by Hemingway's A Moveable Feast, Paris France is a "fresh and sagacious" (The New Yorker) classic of prewar France and its unforgettable literary eminences.

Celebrated for her innovative literary bravura, Gertrude Stein (1874â€"1946) settled into a bustling Paris at the turn of the twentieth century, never again to return to her native America. While in Paris, she not only surrounded herself with -- and tirelessly championed the careers of -- a remarkable group of young expatriate artists but also solidified herself as "one of the most controversial figures of American letters" (New York Times).

In Paris France (1940) -- published here with a new introduction from Adam Gopnik -- Stein unites her childhood memories of Paris with her observations about everything from art and war to love and cooking. The result is an unforgettable glimpse into a bygone era, one on the brink of revolutionary change.