PORTHEIM, Paul Cohen

[119] pp.

B.T. Batsford Ltd

1937

9″ x 6″

w/ wraparound jacket design by Cecil Beaton

In May 1937 B.T. Batsford posthumously published Paul Cohen-Portheims The Spirit of Paris. The guide to the French capital had first been published in Cohen Portheims native German in 1930 and this new English edition complemented his The Spirit of London, issued by Batsford two years earlier. The book encourages the Parisian visitor to see beyond the usual tourist destinations and night spots, and to emulate instead the daily lives of the capitals residents. 134 photographs, including four by Beaton and several by Brassa, illustrate the text. The Spirit of Paris is significant for its attractive wrap-around dust jacket design by Beaton. It features a collage of Parisian landmarks and street scenes in a bright palette of colours. A few months later Beaton would publish his own book with Batsford, Cecil Beatons Scrapbook, with a similar impactful wrap-around jacket.