Town & Country Travels HomeThe cultured traveler knows the value of a good book to pass the hours, whether high in the air on a Trans-Atlantic flight or speeding through the Chunnel aboard the Eurostar. And while many of the sumptuously produced titles published by Paris-based luxury bookseller Assouline are too substantial to cart in your carry-on, they effortlessly capture the glamour and élan of the grand holiday.
At Assouline's new New York boutique, which opened in the Plaza Hotel this month, you'll find yourself transported abroad by elegantly
photographed tributes to the "spirit" of destinations like St. Tropez,
Aspen, Venice and more ($40 each). Or if you're in France this summer,
stop by the Paris flagship store to pick up a copy of "Hotel du
Cap-Eden-Roc" ($50). It's a rare opportunity to peek inside the grounds
of the famously discreet hideaway on the French Riviera, and might just
convince you to add an extra stop to your itinerary.
What sets Assouline apart from its peers in the world of high-end picture book publishing -- Taschen, Phaidon, Abrams -- is the cohesiveness of its aesthetic: to buy a book here is to buy a slice of founder Prosper Assouline's clear-eyed vision of cosmopolitan chic.
Fortunately for the literate road warrior, Assouline offers the "Bon Voyage Suitcase" ($295, pictured above left). Adorned with vintage destination stickers, it contains four neatly wrapped, best-selling travel titles - "In the Spirit of Cannes," "Paris Hotel Stories," "Island Hotel Stories" and "Adventure Hotel Stories." If, on the other hand, you prefer to bring the whole library with you, select a custom-designed Goyard trunk in black or white leather, packed with one hundred art, fashion and design books from Assouline's signature "Memoirs" collection ($20,000, special order).
Don't know where to start? A list of our top five Assouline travel books after the jump...
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Heidi Mitchell is editor-in-chief of Town & Country Travel and Town & Country Weddings, and features and travel editor of Town & Country.
Adam H. Graham is a contributing writer for this blog; his work also frequently appears in Town & Country Travel, both in the magazine and online.
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