There's a reason why this little book is subtitled "a wayward guide." The inverted Eiffel Tower on the cover should be a warning to those of faint imagination, that this book is not your father's Fodor Guide. Rather, Paris Out of Hand, is a handy guide to the hotels with fold-down balconies, volume controls on the phones for those who don't speak French, and turn-down services which leave a fish on your pillow. It is full of helpful French phrases, so you will never be caught short not knowing how to ask: "Do you come to this noctambupark often? Are the bats given annual rabies shots?" ("Venez-vous souvent a ce noctambuparc? Est-ce que les chauves-souris recoivent leurs piqures de rage annuelle?") It is loaded with delightful factoids such as: "Some Parisians don't have sheepskin covers for car seats, but drive around with live sheep in the laps. Thus 'Revenons a nos moutons!' is also the cry of the man roaming the levels of the parking structure in search of his bleating Peugeot." It's liberally illustrated with wondrous and slightly mad collages as fascinating as the prose.

If you cherish journeys of the mind, then this book is for you. ( )