Product Description

An indispensable, richly informative, and always entertaining sourcebook on Provence by the writer who has made the region his own.

Though organized from A to Z, this is hardly a conventional work of reference. It is rather a selection of those aspects of Provence that Peter Mayle in almost twenty years there has found to be the most interesting, curious, delicious, or down-right fun.

In more than 170 entries he writes about subjects as wide-ranging as architecture and zingue-zingue-zoun (in the local patois, a word meant to describe the sound of a violin), as diverse as expatriates, Aix-en-Provence, the Provençal character, legends, lavender, linguistic oddities, the museum of the French Foreign Legion, the museum of the corkscrew, the origins of “La Marseillaise,” and a bawdy folklore character named Fanny.

And, of course, he writes about food and drink: vin rosé, truffles, olives, melons, bouillabaisse, the cheese that killed a Roman emperor, even a cure for indigestion. The wonderful accompanying artwork includes curiosities Mayle has gathered over the years—matchbooks, drawings, century-old ads, photos, tourist brochures, maps.
Provence A-Z is a delight for Peter Mayle’s ever-growing audience and the perfect complement to any guidebook on Provence, or, for that matter, France.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #50438 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-31
• Released on: 2006-10-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

From Publishers Weekly
The author of several books set in Provence, including the now classic travel tome A Year in Provence and a more recent novel, A Good Year, Mayle has once again trapped the sunshine, the wind and the very lavender-laden air of the southeastern French countryside in his prose. The reference-desk title is appropriate if the desk in reference is that of a librarian at your favorite getaway inn in Aix or Marseille. This anecdotal encyclopedia may have been written expressly for discovery on the shelf of a rented mas, "a collection of agricultural buildings joined together," and enjoyed over an afternoon repast of Banon, "armed with a fresh baguette and a bottle of local wine." Mayle is the self-appointed pied piper of Provence for Anglophone Francophiles everywhere, and these entries, from "Accent" to "Zingue-Zingue-Zoun," display the same conversational style his fans have come to expect. He includes information about lesser-known sights like the museum of the Foreign Legion and local food like bouillabaisse, but the charm of the book is in unexpected factual gems like "the male goat can copulate up to forty times a day" found in an otherwise straightforward entry about chèvre. Mayle writes beautifully of the seasons—Automne, Été, Hiver and Printemps—which he shares as his own personal Provence with the earnestly planning tourist and the dreamy armchair traveler alike. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
British expatriate Peter Mayle returns to writing, and narrating, about what he knows best, his life in Provence. Whether waxing poetic on the food, scenery, wildlife, or flora, Mayle reads from this encyclopedia with an obvious love for his subject. He is most enjoyable when laughing at himself, and his sometimes disparaging tone makes his descriptions of his own foibles spring to life. He systematically takes the listener through his guidebook on what he knows about this popular section of France, also sharing stories of how he gained each tidbit of knowledge. All that's missing from his beautiful and entertaining descriptions of the land and people he has embraced are the warm sun and a glass of wine on the patio. H.L.S. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
Peter Mayle is synonymous with Provence, the region in the South of France where, as an expatriate from Britain, he has lived for many years and written about in such best-selling nonfiction accounts as A Year in Provence (1990) and Toujours Provence (1991) and such fun novels as Hotel Pastis (1993) and Chasing Cezanne (1997). His new book, obviously from the title, is another installment in his coverage of his favorite location and topic. More than 200 entries ranging in length from four lines to two to three pages appear on its pages, in alphabetical order, in which he discusses topics relevant to Provencal life. Although Mayle insists "It's impossible business, trying to squeeze Provence into a single volume," he's done his best. The result is a delightful education for armchair travelers--or actual ones who are heading there for a visit or have previously done so. From "Accent" ("If words were edible, Provencal speech would be a rich, thick, pungent verbal stew") to "Zola, Francois" (father of novelist Emile), a personal and personable book. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

The Fantasy and Reality of Provence
Peter Mayle's "Provence A-Z" is a collection of personal interests and discoveries. There are amusing stories of construction complexities, the celebration of truffles and humorous stories of wild pigs eating perfectly ripe melons. Peter invites you into his world and as he explains the reality of Provence he keeps the fantasy of the perfect vacation alive and well. Since I recently made my own tapenade it was interesting to see a new recipe. There is also an explanation of why tomatoes are known as pommes d'amour. There are stories of unique fruits and visions of hills that are home to two thousand types of butterfly. I loved the story of the new puppy and you can't help but smile when you think of all the adventures Peter has on a daily basis. Overall, this collection of writing makes winter days seem a bit warmer and it is perfect as a cozy read by the fire.

~The Rebecca Review
Once I spent a weekend in Provence

Peeter Mayle
Peter Mayle's books about Provence are always wonderful, and this one does not disappoint!
Mireille McKell

"Provence4: A to Z
This is a collection of short essays about the culture of Provence in alphabetical order. I think it is typical Mayle, intelligent, bright, and whimsical without being "cute". It's a writing you can sample in at odd times.