Louise Brooks Studies: Paris circa 1930, a Bibliography

LOUISE BROOKS STUDIES

Paris circa 1930

Much has been written on Paris in the 1920's and 1930's. And much of this body of literature has centered on the avant-garde painters and poets, as well as the many American poets and novelists (the so-called "Lost Generation") who lived in the city at the time. Interested individuals would do well to search out Hugh Ford's Published in Paris (Collier Books, 1975), Shari Benstock's Women of the Left Bank (University of Texas, 1986), or Billy Kluver and Julie Martin's Kiki's Paris (Abrams, 1989). These are just a few of the dozens of books on the subject. Memoirs or biographies of cultural figures, such as Josephine Baker (who crossed paths with Brooks in Europe) or Man Ray (an artist smitten by Brooks' image), also help to flesh out this particular time and place.

This page is a brief checklist of useful and interesting books on Paris circa 1930. It also represents some of the books I have collected or studied on the period. This checklist is offered as background on the time Louise Brooks spent in France, while working on the 1930 French film Prix de Beauté. All of the books represented here were published in the United States. There are certainly many other books available in Europe which explore similar material. This bibliography has been compiled by thomas gladysz.

Photographs of Brooks on display
in a Paris shop window, 1930

Paris circa 1930

Cronin, Vincent. Paris: City of Light 1919 - 1939. New York: Harper Collins, 1994.
--- a general history of a time and place

Johnson, Douglas and Madeleine. The Age of Illusion: Art and Politics in France 1918 - 1940. New York: Rizzoli, 1987.
--- illustrated survey of art and politics of the interwar period

Mann, Carol. Paris Between the Wars. New York: The Vendome Press, 1996.
--- oversized, pictorial survey of Paris life includes street scenes, political and cultural figures, notable buildings, entertainment, etc . . . .

Poirot-Delpech, Bertrand. Montparnasse the Golden Years. Paris: Bookking International, 1990.
--- pictorial of Paris life: includes street scenes, entertainment, artists and other personalities

Waresquiel, Emmanuel. De Coco Chanel a Maurice Chevalier. Paris: Larousse, 1996.
--- two captioned portraits of Louise Brooks are contained in this survey of life in France between 1900 and 1945

Weber, Eugen. The Hollow Years: France in the 1930's. New York: Norton, 1994.
--- study of the political, cultural and economic conditions of the decade

Wiser, William. The Crazy Years: Paris in the Twenties. New York: Atheneum, 1983.
--- illustrated survey of literature, the visual arts and daily life

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