Improbable Walks, Season 4, Episode 1: Below, photos to celebrate the quirky history of Left Bank literary street, rue de la Bûcherie. From woodcutters to writers, printers to pornographers, doctors to booksellers, this street has a lot of history in its few blocks! Below, Restif de la Bretonne, walking at night. This image is titled "Le Hibou Spectateur" and is from the frontspiece of the 1788 edition of his book NUITS DE PARIS. The next photo is writer & philosopher Simone de Beauvoir, writing at the nearby Flore in the period when she lived on this street. Next, the amphitheatre--notice in this angled photo, you can see the plaque for de Beauvoir, on the building at the left; the former entrance to the amphitheatre, beautifully renovated today; a map of the area; and the oldest tree in Paris! If you'd like to virtually visit the bookshop of Shakespeare & Company, check out their website here.
- Lisa