How can one not like this? A promise of secrets, from a city the most ruined by tourism.

The book is small, surprisingly dense, which means tight text and being hard to read easily. It's one for sitting down with, less than carrying around. Although the arrondissement maps would let you do that.

But what should such a book do? Surely it should change my plans for a visit there, point me at new places to see, or advise what to eat and where. The little tweaks to a visit that the resident knows over the casual tourist. It doesn't manage that though. So many of these secrets are just hints of a hidden garden, perhaps accessible if a careless resident leaves the gate unlatched. The research here is excellent, but the level of the discoveries is just too rarified for most visitors to make concrete use of it.

Great idea, but not the book I'd recommend for achieving it. ( )