Three rivers of France, Dordogne - Lot - Tarn

Freda White

Published by Pavilion Books, hardcover with dustjacket, illustrated
Photographs and Commentary by Michael Busselle

The impressive interior region of south-west France, across which the Dordogne, Lot and Tarn make their meandering way, has long attracted the discriminating kind of visitor who appreciates the finer points of rurallife. With its three romantic rivers, its wealth of prehistorie remains and medieval ruins, its romanesque churches and Renaissance chäteaux, its unspoilt towns and idyllic villages, its vineyards, forests and pastures, rich in produce and awash in summer with wild flowers, the area offers infinite variety to the tourist.

Freda White, whose Three Rivers of France has been required reading for travelIers since it first appeared in 1952, is the one writer acknowledged in her supreme achievement of revealing most about the delights of this region. Her wide knowledge, which made her so sensitive to its artistic and historical resonances, together with her graceful, economic style enabled her to impart a great deal of information without ever appearing to do so. Although Freda White died in 1971, her sense of enjoyment is still infectious, and Three Rivers remains the definitive work in English on south-west France.

This new edition is complemented for the first time by a collection of stunning photographic images prepared by master photographer Michael Busselle, who has travelled in Freda White's footsteps: the impressive chäteaux of Beynac and Monbazillac, the sun-baked cathedral of Perigeux, fortified cave dwellings at la Roque-Gazeac, and contrasting scenes on the rivers themselves, from the imposing castles of the Dordogne and the slim towers and graceful arches of the Pont Valentre, spanning the Lot at Cahors, to the deserted landscape of the Tarn gorges are all spectacularly recorded here. Michael Busselle, a dedicated francophile, has also appended up-to-date information on places to eat and stay, and proposes a varied selection of two-week driving tours to assist those planning a holiday. The combination of classic travel writing and inspired photography has resulted in a unique book of incomparable beauty. This fabled region of crusaders and robbers, saints, tyrants and troubadours, is here justly celebrated in the perfect traveller's companion.