<div>The author of A Year in the Merde and Talk to the Snail offers a highly biased and hilarious view of French history in this international bestseller. Things have been just a little awkward between Britain and France ever since the Norman invasion in 1066. Fortunately&mdash;after years of humorously chronicling the vast cultural gap between the two countries&mdash;author Stephen Clarke is perfectly positioned to investigate the historical origins of their occasionally hostile and perpetually entertaining pas de deux. Clarke sets the record straight, documenting how French braggarts and cheats have stolen credit rightfully due their neighbors across the Channel while blaming their own numerous gaffes and failures on those same innocent Brits for the past thousand years. Deeply researched and written with the same sly wit that made A Year in the Merde a comic hit, this lighthearted trip through the past millennium debunks the notion that the Battle of Hastings was a French victory (William the Conqueror was really a Norman who hated the French) and pooh-poohs French outrage over Britain&rsquo;s murder of Joan of Arc (it was the French who executed her for wearing trousers). He also takes the air out of overblown Gallic claims, challenging the provenance of everything from champagne to the guillotine to prove that the French would be nowhere without British ingenuity. Brits and Anglophiles of every national origin will devour Clarke&rsquo;s decidedly biased accounts of British triumph and French ignominy. But 1000 Years of Annoying the French will also draw chuckles from good-humored Francophiles as well as &ldquo;anyone who&rsquo;s ever encountered a snooty Parisian waiter or found themselves driving on the Boulevard P&eacute;riph&eacute;rique during August&rdquo; (The Daily Mail). A bestseller in Britain, this is an entertaining look at history that fans of Sarah Vowell are sure to enjoy, from the author the San Francisco Chronicle has called &ldquo;the anti-Mayle . . . acerbic, insulting, un-PC, and mostly hilarious.&rdquo;</div>

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1000 Years of Annoying the French

<div>A hilarious insider&rsquo;s guide to Paris by the author of 1000 Years of Annoying the French: &ldquo;Clarke&rsquo;s eye for detail is terrific&rdquo; (The Washington Post). Stephen Clarke may have adopted Paris as his home, but he still has an Englishman&rsquo;s eye for the people, caf&eacute;s, art, sidewalks, food, fashion, and romance that make Paris a one-of-a-kind city. This irreverent outsider-turned-insider guide shares local savoir faire, from how to separate the good restaurants from the bad to navigating the baffling M&eacute;tro system. It also provides invaluable insights into the etiquette of public urination and the best ways to experience Parisian life without annoying the Parisians (a truly delicate art). Clarke&rsquo;s witty and expert tour of the city leaves no boulevard unexplored&mdash;even those that might be better left alone.</div>

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Paris Revealed

<div>This international bestseller from the author of A Year in the Merde &ldquo;combines the gaffes of Bridget Jones with the boldness of James Bond&rdquo; (Publishers Weekly). When the glorious oceanographer Gloria Monday convinces Paul West to travel to the swank beaches of southern France&mdash;where she&rsquo;s investigating caviar-smuggling cartels&mdash;he assumes he&rsquo;s about to have the time of his life. But for West, France has always been full of surprises underfoot, and this trip is no exception to the rule. He&rsquo;s soon dragged into an undercover investigation that goes all the way to the top and leaves him feeling sometimes like James Bond, sometimes like Inspector Clouseau. Dial M for Merde is a comic caper that pokes fun at French society at every level, from pompous politicians to grumpy waitstaff.</div>

Stephen Clarke
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Books By Stephen Clarke (3 Books)

1000 Years of Annoying the French

Paris Revealed

Dial M for Merde

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Books By Stephen Clarke (3 Books)

1000 Years of Annoying the French

Paris Revealed

Dial M for Merde

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