Great Britain

This Is Ireland

On the heels of the runaway bestsellers This is New York and This is Paris, Universe is pleased to reissue another title from M. Sasek's beloved and nostalgic children's travel series.

Like the other Sasek classics, This is Ireland is a facsimile edition of his original book from the 1960s and is still timely and current in every way. The brilliant, vibrant illustrations have been meticulously preserved, remaining true to his vision more than 40 years later and, where applicable, facts have been updated for the twenty-first century, appearing on a "This is...Today" page at the back of the book. The stylish, charming illustrations, coupled with Sasek's witty, playful narrative, makes for a perfect souvenir that will delight both children and their parents, many of whom will remember this book from their childhood.



This is Ireland, first published in 1964, brings the Emerald Isle to life, where the shamrock grows and a leprechaun stands at the end of every rainbow, guarding a crock of gold. There's Dublin with its bustling crowds, tall steeples, and Trinity College; there's Clonmacnois, the burial place of kings; there's the Blarney Stone to kiss for eloquence, and much, much more in this verdant, friendly land filled with enchanted lakes and mountains that fall steep to the sea.

Berlin Then and Now (Then & Now Thunder Bay)

Ireland: A Photographic Tour

Ireland is a spectacular new addition to the series, with warm words and gorgeous photographs that perfectly capture the Emerald Isle's unique spirit.

The Most Beautiful Villages of Ireland

Clusters of white cottages huddled in a fold between hills of an unbelievably rich green . . . villages of a single street, dazzling in their array of color washes and picturesque shop and bar signs. . . . Such are the villages of Ireland, the most beautiful of which are captured in Hugh Palmer's evocative photographs and Christopher Fitz-Simon's sensitive commentaries. Beautiful though many of the villages of Ireland undoubtedly are, they are also working, living communities. The vibrancy and warmth in a village bar or local shop proclaim a culture not yet submerged under mass tourism or the rash of vacation homes that have blighted so many of Europe's prettiest villages and robbed them of traditional ways. Following the divisions of the ancient provinces--Ulster, Leinster, Connacht, and Munster--the journey is full of fascinating rural gems, some famous and others less well known. There are the coastal villages of Cork with their handsome houses of many hues sloping down to a sea that so many Irish crossed to found other communities in the United States. Roscommon and Galway are proud of their medieval churches, while Ulster villages look toward the Atlantic and seem to be girding themselves against the rigors of the northern climate. Literary and historical associations abound, as in Ardagh, site of pre-Christian settlement and the place where Oliver Goldsmith was inspired to write She Stoops to Conquer. The latest volume in the best-selling Most Beautiful Villages series, this extraordinary visual and verbal record of the Irish village is completed by a guide to the most important sites, markets, hotels, and restaurants. 258 color photographs.

Parisiennes: A Celebration of French Women

Divided by theme into chapters, this light-hearted and nostalgic romp through 20th-century Paris creates a beautiful history of the world’s most romantic city and its exceptional women. This collection of one hundred and thirty duotone photographs captures the essence of the Parisian femme fatale. All of the great French photographers from the late 1930s through the 1960s are featured, including Robert Doisneau, Brassaï, Willy Ronis, Jacques-Henri Lartigue, Edouard Boubat, Jean-Philippe Charbonnier, Sabine Weiss, and many more. The photographs reveal Parisian women and all of their glorious facets: from the love-struck waif strolling along the banks of the Seine to the belles of the neighborhood balls flushed from their raucous dance moves, from no-nonsense career girls to flirty neighbors. Chanel-clad locals and runway models alike showcase the glamour of the fashion and haute-couture world with inimitable style. One chapter pays homage to the courageous women who battled for justice in World War II, the Resistance, the Liberation, and the revolts of May 1968, including role models such as philosopher and writer Simone de Beauvoir and journalist and playwright Marguerite Dumas. The Parisiennes featured here go to work, ride bikes, pose seductively, smile coyly, and are all devastatingly irresistible.

The Most Beautiful Country Towns of England (Most Beautiful Villages Series)

An inspirational tour and celebration of some of the most attractive small towns in the English countryside.

Complementing the best-selling The Most Beautiful Villages of England, Hugh Palmer has produced a stunning sequence of images of those ancient towns in which the true heart of England lies. All the places included here embody a long, preindustrial heritage; they are also communities of a well-preserved beauty, widely visited by travelers from all parts of the world.

Twenty-five of the most beguiling small towns of rural and seaside England are included. Here are market towns that have traditionally owed their importance and prosperity to the agricultural land surrounding them, towns that grew up by river crossings, small ports harboring both fishing and trading fleets, centers of religious activity, and even spas.

The whole of England is represented in Palmer's delightful photography and perceptive commentaries, revealing how history, site, and the availability of local building materials have combined to shape the appearance of towns in different parts of the country. Darker stones lend a slightly forbidding yet noble air to the towns of the north, such as Barnard Castle. The eastern counties have a wealth of ancient half-timbered architecture, punctuated by buildings in flint and limestone, while to the west lie the honey-colored streets and houses of the Cotswolds.

Here, too, are towns formed by their social and cultural contexts—the elegant Georgian and Victorian houses of Buxton, Derbyshire, reflecting its heyday as a fashionable spa; the imposing terraces in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, an expression of its importance as a market town and religious center with a magnificent abbey.

A Traveler's Guide, listing places to visit, to stay, and to eat, helps both armchair and actual travelers enjoy even more a visit to England's delightful countryside. 260 color photographs.

London Then and Now (Then & Now)

Paris Then and Now (Then & Now)

Above London

Above London. Visitors to England who marvel at this lush land on their first incoming flight now have a volume to treasure forever. Here are the famed gardens, the majestic estates, the granduer of centuries of architecture. Along with Robert Cameron's areial photographs Alistair Cooke's text is brimming with the raconteur's characteristic wit and insight. The pictorial essay begins at the Thames and follows the history of the beloved city well into the countryside.

Irish Blessings