Secondhand Travel & Photography Bargain Book Box SP4259

Secondhand Travel & Photography Bargain Book Box SP4259

Nine volumes of the Thames & Hudson Most Beautiful Villages series, all large hardbacks with jackets: France, Provence, the Dordogne, Normandy, Brittany, Tuscany, England, Ireland and New England. Most carry Hugh Palmer’s photographs. Each profiles around thirty villages with history, maps and practical notes, so they serve trip planners and armchair travellers alike.

1. The Most Beautiful Villages of the Dordogne — James Bentley — Cliff-top castles, honey-coloured stone and villages strung along the river, in the part of France the English fell for. Bentley lived there and writes as a neighbour.
2. The Most Beautiful Villages of France — Dominique Repérant — The whole country in one volume, from Alsace to the Pyrenees, built on France’s official list of its most beautiful villages. The best single book for choosing a region.
3. The Most Beautiful Villages of England — James Bentley — Thatch, greens, duck ponds and church towers, from Cornwall to Northumberland. The cottage on the cover sets the tone.
4. The Most Beautiful Villages of Normandy — Hugh Palmer — Half-timbered houses, apple orchards and small harbours, with text as well as photographs by Palmer.
5. The Most Beautiful Villages of New England — Tom Shachtman — White steeples, covered bridges and mill towns across six American states, photographed by Len Rubenstein in every season. The autumn pages are the reason to own it.
6. The Most Beautiful Villages of Brittany — James Bentley — Granite fishing ports, walled towns and carved stone calvaries. It is a rougher, more Celtic France than the other volumes show.
7. The Most Beautiful Villages of Ireland — Christopher Fitz-Simon — Painted shopfronts, estate villages and harbour towns in all four provinces. Fitz-Simon is a theatre historian, and he tells each village’s story well.
8. The Most Beautiful Villages of Provence — Michael Jacobs — Hill villages above lavender and vines, written by a leading travel writer on the Mediterranean. The cover alone has sold a good many holidays.
9. The Most Beautiful Villages of Tuscany — James Bentley — Hill towns of stone and terracotta, from the Chianti hills south to the tufa cliffs. The first of the series for many buyers, and still the favourite.