From the Little Bookroom

Paris Quiz is perfect for: the armchair traveler who loves trivia; the active traveler setting up an itinerary; students of French history or language; a stocking stuffer for your favorite Francophile. This fun book includes more than 400 multiple-choice questions organized by arrondissement, ranging from obscure lore to facts about well-known buildings, streets, and statues with fascinating and often humorous histories. Three possible answers are provided: one true, the other two far-fetched, deceptive, treacherous at times. But be careful! In exceptional cases, more than one answer may be correct.

I love its whimsical and idiosyncratic aspects, but it's a practical and enlightening guide as well. Napoleon's statue overlooking the courtyard at the Invalides will never look the same to you after reading the quiz question about it (see #7 below). Here are a few questions from Paris Quiz (answers can be found at the bottom):

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1. Under Louis-Philippe the place de la Concorde was decorated with statues of women symbolizing the great cities of France, placed on the perimeter of the square according to the actual geographic position of the cities. Why did the Toulousains complain about this arrangement?
1. The statue representing Toulouse is repulsively ugly
   
2. Toulouse's representative was placed, by accident, at the north of the square
   
3. The "pink city" was simply left out


2. How many years pass between the application of each new coat of paint to the Eiffel Tower?
1. 5 years
   
2. 7 years
   
3. 10 years
   


3. What animal was at the heart of one of the greatest coups in financial history?
1. A carrier pigeon
2. A police dog
3. The parakeet of the banker Law


4. What is unique about the rue des Degrés?
1. There are no doorways along its sides
2. It's the shortest in Paris
3. It's in the form of stairs


5. Why is the rue du Trésor so called?
1. It's the former site of the Banque de France
2. Workers found a treasure there during demolition work
3. A dungeon, today demolished, used to house the treasury of Charles V


6. What is above the Café du 66, on the boulevard Richard-Lenoir?
1. A giant bottle
2. A salvaged marquee from the Guimard metro, put back up at the café
3. A scale model of a dirigible


7. In 1870 the Prussians were at the gates of the capital. How were the Parisians able to prevent the statue of Napoleon I (which is today located in the cour des Invalides) from falling into the hands of the traditional enemies of the Empire?
1. They covered it in plaster to disguise it as a Roman goddess
2. They submerged it in the Seine
3. They hoisted it into a tree, hiding it in the foliage

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During the month of October we are offering Paris Quiz at our friends and family discount of 30% (regular price $14.95, now $10.46), so buy now to take advantage of the price. Buy several to have on hand as impromptu holiday and hostess gifts. To see the book in more detail, read excerpts, and see interior pages, please visit our web site.

With best wishes,

Angela Hederman
Editor & Publisher, The Little Bookroom

Answers:

1. c: Toulouse was deliberately left out for reasons of symmetry. Only Bordeaux, Brest, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Rouen and Strasbourg have statues.

2. a and c: It was discovered that the paint on the base of the tower was deteriorating less quickly than that on the rest of the structure. Since that realization, the area from the ground to the first floor has been repainted every ten years, and the area from the first floor to the top every five years.

3. a: A carrier pigeon informed Baron Nathan de Rothschild of the defeat of Napoleon I at Waterloo, three days before the rest of the world learned. The financier was thus able to sell his stock holdings before a disastrous crash.

4. a, b, and c: All three answers are correct. The rue des Degrés, as its name implies, is a stairway of fourteen steps. It's also the shortest road in the capital (5.75 m long).

5. b: In 1882, during the demolition of a townhouse on the road, a bronze vase filled with 7,882 gold pieces dating from the times of Jean le Bon and Charles V (the 14th century) appeared in the rubble. The vase and some of the coins are preserved in the musée Carnavalet.

6. a: No one knows how long the giant red bottle has been perched on the roof of the café at the corner of the boulevard and the rue Moufle. When Robert Doisneau photographed it in 1961, the mark of the aperitif Picon could still be seen on the sticker. The bottle is now completely bare.

7. b: This statue of Napoleon was situated, at the time, on the current site of La Défense. It was submerged in the Seine as a last resort, near the pont du Neuilly. Its forced bath lasted four months…but did save it!