A Considerable Town

This volume brings together two delightful books—Map of Another Town and A Considerable Town—by one of our most beloved food and travel writers. In her inimitable style, here M.F.K. Fisher tells the stories—and reveals the secrets—of two quintessential French cities. Map of Another Town, Fisher’s memoir of the French provincial capital of Aix-en-Provence is, as the author tells us, “my picture, my map, of a place and therefore of myself,” and a vibrant and perceptive profile of the kinship between a person and a place. Then, in A Considerable Town, she scans the centuries to reveal the ancient sources that clarify the Marseille of today and the indestructible nature of its people, and in so doing weaves a delightful journey filtered through the senses of a profound writer.

The author writes about her passion for Marseilles--a city she has known for half a century--describing all aspects of past and present life in the ancient seaport

"What are the factors that make a town center exceptional and not just another routine shopping area? Packed with color photographs, site plans, and case studies of top new projects, as well as classics that have endured the test of time, this book gives you the inside story and the details on how town centers were developed and what makes them innovative. It provides hard-to-find facts on costs, rents, land uses, and more. A full chapter on trends analyzes what is working and what is coming next."--BOOK JACKET.

Bram Stoker Award-winning horror author Bentley Little proves why you should never go home again in this terrifying novel. Welcome to McGuane, Arizona. Population: 200...199...198...197... Gregory Tomasov has returned with his family to the quaint Arizona community of his youth. In McGuane, the air is clean, the land is unspoiled. Nothing much has changed. Except now, no one goes out after dark. And no one told Gregory that he shouldn’t have moved into the old abandoned farm on the edge of town. Once upon a time something bad happened there. Something that’s now buried in its walls. Something now reborn in the nightmares of Gregory’s young son. Something about to be unleashed.

M.F.K. Fisher moved to Aix-en-Provence with her daughters after the Second World War. In Map of Another Town, she traces the history of this ancient and famous town, known for its tree-lined avenues, pretty fountains and ornate façades. Beyond the tourist sights, Fisher introduces us to its inhabitants: the waiters and landladies, down-and-outs and local characters all recovering from the affects of the war in a drastically new France. A companion piece to The Gastronomical Me, in this memoir Fisher finds herself alone, older and with two small children to care for, while at the same time discovering a sense of belonging and acceptance. This is an intimate portrait of a place, which is also a self-portrait. As Fisher writes: 'Here before me now is my picture, my map, of a place and therefore myself.'

NATIONAL BEST SELLER • The basis for the HBO documentary now streaming on HBO Max For five years, James and Deborah Fallows have travelled across America in a single-engine prop airplane. Visiting dozens of towns, the America they saw is acutely conscious of its problems—from economic dislocation to the opioid scourge—but it is also crafting solutions, with a practical-minded determination at dramatic odds with the bitter paralysis of national politics. At times of dysfunction on a national level, reform possibilities have often arisen from the local level. The Fallowses describe America in the middle of one of these creative waves. Their view of the country is as complex and contradictory as America itself, but it also reflects the energy, the generosity and compassion, the dreams, and the determination of many who are in the midst of making things better. Our Towns is the story of their journey—and an account of a country busy remaking itself.

I dump it in I smash it down I drive around the trashy town Meet Mr. Gilly. He cleans up Trashy Town. He does it with a big smile and a big truck--which is sure to make him a hero with all the children in the neighborhood. David Clemesha and Andrea Zimmerman have created a rhythmic, repeatable refrain that will roll off the lips of every child. Dan Yaccarino's dynamic art puts the zip in Mr. Gilly's stride and adds style and charm to trash collection. 2000 Notable Children's Books (ALA)