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The Crimson Bookshelf

PARIS TO THE LIFE, by Paul Morand, Sketches by Doris Spiegel. New York, Oxford University Press. Price $3.

THIS sprightly offering from the pen of Paul Morand attempts to capture the flavor of today's Paris, and set it down for the edification of cosmopolitan and Philistine. Most of the comments concern street scenes, the markets, coster-mongers, cafes, street fairs, flea markets, gardens, and children. Fortunately, the book does not attempt to generalize about the beauty or the grandiloquence or the triviality of Paris, but presents only a collection of random pen-pictures of the city, which are pleasing in their familiarity, without being too cute. The book is no Baedeker, but it will give you an idea of some of the things you may have missed when you were in Paris, or some of the things you ought to look for when you go.

What makes the volume really notable is the work of Doris Spiegel, a very fine sketcher who fits her clear, accurate illustrations admirably to the content. It is fun to glance through "Paris to the Life" again and again and study the excellent draughtsmanship and remarkable vivacity of Miss Spiegel's drawings.

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