French Island Elegance |  | Author: Michael Connors
Creator: Bruce Buck
Publisher: "Harry N. Abrams, Inc."
Category: Book
List Price: $40.00
Buy New: $15.96
as of 7/30/2010 14:40 CDT details
You Save: $24.04 (60%)
New (24) Used (18) Collectible (2) from $10.68
Seller: parana-book-deals
Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 365747
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 176
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.6
Dimensions (in): 10.1 x 9.8 x 1
ISBN: 0810958414
Dewey Decimal Number: 747.0972976
EAN: 9780810958418
ASIN: 0810958414
Publication Date: September 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
They are the jewels of the Caribbean, gorgeous prisms through which we see reflected the opulent world of the French Creole aristocracy. The French-speaking islands of Martinique, Guadaloupe, Marie-Galante, and Saint Martin come alive as never before in the pages of French Island Elegance, a lavishly illustrated look at one of the most intriguing and beautiful parts of the world. More than 160 color photographs taken especially for this book give readers a privileged glimpse inside a world rarely seen by most visitorsthe palatial, elegantly furnished homes of the islands affluent sugar, cotton, and tobacco barons, both historical and contemporary. An authoritative text sheds light on the areas rich social, architectural, and interior design historya vital past that still influences French Island taste and cultural life to this day.
|
| Customer Reviews:
Another Winner November 17, 2006
A Reader (Memphis, TN USA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
Having read Dr. Connors' previous books, Caribbean Elegance and Cuban Elegance, I looked forward to French Island Elegance. I was not dissapointed.
Once again Dr.Connors has provided us with a well-researched and easily readable narrative accompanied by Bruce Buck's sumptuous photographs. The two of them have developed into a winning team.
French Island Elegance will not only look great on anyone's coffee table, but is a wonderful resource on a subject that heretofore has had none.
Tables Turned November 14, 2006
Victoria E. Plasse (New York New York, USA)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Sure this could be seen as another stylish table topper where we imagine ourselves sipping bellinis while overlooking fishermen--but what's rare in French Island Elegance when compared to the other three inch thick coasters, is that the author and photographer really did their homework. This is not an embellishment. It's not an ambiance bound between covers either. Connors discusses the rare qualities of Martinique, Guadaloupe, Marie-Galante, and Saint Martin in their own histories of sugar plantations and tobacco dynasties. He examines, quite aesthetically, how the cross section of economic and social histories compose a unique archicture and style not yet lost to the modern world--no, it's not just a pretty book for the coffee table after all.
French Island Elegance August 29, 2008
Maxwell G. Cox (Maitland, Australia)
Beautiful book, a fireside friend, lots of lavish pictures and interesting stories, this book is genuine stress therapy in itself, I first came across it in a genuine French fabric store for more than double Amazon's price, glad I waited and I'm delighted to own it.
Elegance and a history lesson August 20, 2009
chinafreak (NH)
Beautiful photos of private collections of French Carribbean furniture supplemented by a history lesson on the settlement and economic growth of the Carribbean Islands. History explains how politics and trade among the European nations influenced the birth and evolution of this furniture style.
 A very pretty book November 11, 2006
Gillian A (NY, USA)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is a lovely book - suitable on any coffee table.
I had been looking for a book on Caribbean architecture - historic and contemporary, but had come up short and this book too, did not fit the bill. I found it is mostly about the FURNITURE of the French Caribbean islands. As such, it does an excellent job and in that way, it is fairly similar to the author's other book `Caribbean Elegance'. It certainly has the same look and I think some of the examples may be the same. The pictures are lovely, the furniture is quite unusual and the text proved interesting, though I could have had more.
The closest I have come to finding a book on Caribbean architecture is `Caribbean Style'.
|
|
|
