A Little Tour in France

American author Henry James wrote the travelog ''A Little Tour in France.'' The book En Province, which was serialized in The Atlantic Monthly from 1883 to 1884 under the title, describes a six-week trip James took to numerous provincial French cities, including Tours, Bourges, Nantes, Toulouse, Arles, and many others. In 1884, the first book was published. In 1900, a second, considerably updated version with pictures by Joseph Pennell was released. In the first line of the first chapter of the original magazine serial, James states: "Paris may be France, but Paris is not France." He intended the book to be a description of the provinces and perhaps even a tribute to them. Before deciding to settle in London in 1876, James had attempted to live in Paris. When he went back to France in 1882, he was able to see more of French rural life than he had before. Author Henry James visited France in 1882 and described his experiences in an easygoing, urbane, witty style. He was particularly interested in ancient cathedrals and castles, the less restored the better. There's little attempt at generalization or abstract theorizing; he is content to describe as accurately as possible.