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English language books on
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The Well
Mike Briley
AuthorHouse (paperback: 400 pages (January 2008)
ISBN: 9781434349699

The first novel by Mike Briley - editor of Tarn-Web - is naturally set in SouthWest France. When Peter Bennett is made redundant from his publishing company in the UK he decides he needs a break before starting on a new phase of his career. Influenced by his mother's life-long love of France he decides to accept a long-standing invitation to visit friends in South-West France or "Deepest France" as he likes to call it. But from the moment he sets foot on French soil nothing goes to plan and Peter rapidly finds himself involved in a series of intrigues as the fast-paced plot twists and turns like the deep mountain valley where the action takes place.

The Treasures of the Tour De France
Serge Laget and Luke Edwardes-Evans
Publisher: Carlton Books Ltd (Hardcover: 64 pages) (May 2007)
ISBN-10: 1844420655
ISBN-13: 978-1844420650

This "official" book of the Tour comprises an authoritative narrative account of each major era in the sport up to and including the controversial 2006 Tour. The reportage is complemented by features on the superstars and the memorable moments for each of the eras. It also contains over 30 facsimile items of rare sporting memorabilia integrated into the pages of the book. The reader can relive the dramatic events that have entranced the watching millions by holding and examining souvenir brochures, period newspapers, posters, stickers, postcards and items of correspondence.
For Tour de France enthusiasts the book is a "must have". For the rest of us it is a fascinating read. The book, contained in a slipcase, is masterfully produced and well worth the price.

The Cathars: The Most Successful Heresy of the Middle Ages
Sean Martin
Pocket Essentials; Hardcover - 160 pages (2005)
ISBN-10: 1904048331
ISBN-13: 978-1904048336

Catharism was the most successful heresy of the Middle Ages. The Cathars taught that the world is evil and must be transcended through a simple life of prayer, work, fasting and non-violence. They believed themselves to be the heirs of the true heritage of Christianity and completely rejected the Catholic Church and all its trappings, regarding it as the Church of Satan. Alarmed at the success of Catharism, the Church founded the Inquisition and launched the Albigensian Crusade to exterminate the heresy. Martin recounts the Cathars' story and the myths associated with them.

A Piano in the Pyrenees: The Ups and Downs of an Englishman in the French Mountains
Tony Hawks
Ebury Press; Paperback: 352 pages (2007)
ISBN-10: 0091903335
ISBN-13: 978-0091903336

Tony Hawks regales his readers with tales of his efforts to buy a house in the French Pyrenees and settle down to French village life. Although there are many amusing sequences there are also some sadder parts when the author writes of his loneliness. This gives the book a welcome realism that is often missing in this type of book.

Champagne Rugby: The Golden Age of French Rugby League
Henri Garcia (translated by Roger Grime)
London League Publications Ltd Paperback: 152 pages (2007)
ISBN-10: 1903659345
ISBN-13: 978-1903659342

A first hand account of the three French rugby league tours to Australia in the 1950s.

The Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade
Michael Costen
Manchester Univ Press; Paperback - 256 pages 20 illustrations (1997)
ISBN: 0719043328

The story of the war waged by the Catholic Church against the so-called heretics of Languedoc from 1209, combined with a description of the political, economic, religious, and social conditions of southwestern France in the 12th and 13th centuries. This book sets the Albigensian Crusade in its historical context relative to the Languedoc history and culture.

 
The Cathars (The Peoples of Europe)
Malcolm Lambert
Blackwell Pub; Paperback - 368 pages (1998)
ISBN: 063120959X

This is the first comprehensive account in English of the most feared and the most mysterious of medieval heretics. A crusade was launched to uproot them in the south of France, the Inquisition was developed to suppress them, and St Dominic founded his friars to preach against them. Their history and that of the medieval Church are inextricably mingled. This book puts the Cathars in the context of medieval Catholicism. It studies the rise and fall of the heresy from twelfth century Rhineland to fifteenth century Bosnia and the Church´s counteraction, peaceful and violent. Some argue that our knowledge of the Cathars is fatally distorted by prejudice; in fact, the author shows, we can now acquire an understanding of their beliefs and internal disputes, and the reasons why they once made so powerful an appeal.

Peter Mayle lives in and writes about Provence which is not the SouthWest but much that he describes in both his fiction and non-fiction books is applicable to the culture of the Midi in general including the SouthWest. We therefore include a selection of his books here.

A Year in Provence
Peter Mayle
A new edition of the original classic.
Penguin Books; Paperback - 224 pages (1999)
ISBN: 0140279334

Anything Considered
Peter Mayle
Penguin Books; Paperback - 256 pages (1997)
ISBN: 0140259708

Hotel Pastis
Peter Mayle
Penguin Books; Paperback - 320 pages (2004)
ISBN: 0140238646
Chasing Cezanne
Peter Mayle
Penguin Books; Paperback - 256 pages (1998)
ISBN: 014026583X
Encore Provence
Peter Mayle
Hamish Hamilton; Hardcover - 208 pages (1999)
ISBN: 0241134706

 

ÓChantal Moret & Mike Briley 1999-2008