100 Walks in the French Alps (Hodder & Stoughton). A very good guide to hiking in the Alps, detailing which walks are appropriate for different abilities.

James Bromwich   The Roman Remains of Southern France (Routledge). The only comprehensive guide to the subject - detailed, well illustrated and approachable. In addition to accounts of the famous sites, it will lead you off the map to little-known discoveries.

Glynn Christian   Edible France (Grub Street; Interlink). A guide to food rather than restaurants: regional produce, local specialities, markets and best shops for buying goodies to bring back home.

Cicerone Walking Guides (Cicerone, UK). Neat, durable guides, with detailed route descriptions. Titles include Tour of Mont Blanc; Chamonix-Mont Blanc; Tour of the Oisans (GR54); French Alps (GR5); The Way of Saint James (GR65); Tour of the Queyras; The Pyrenean Trail (GR10); Walks and Climbs in the Pyrenees .

Robin G. Collomb   Corsica Mountains (West Col, UK). Covers all the principal mountain peaks, with information on different approaches and ascents backed up with diagrams.

Elizabeth David   French Provincial Cooking (Penguin, UK). A classic cookery book, written in 1960 by the English expert on French food. The recipes are in fine prose rather than manual speak, with excellent detail and warnings about tricky processes or the need for particular skills; and they work, even with non-French ingredients. She makes the subject of kitchen equipment fascinating and beautifully describes the different regional cuisines.

Mary Davis   The Green Guide to France (Green Print, UK). Definitely not the Michelin, this is a resource guide to French national parks and wildlife reserves, veggie restaurants, communes and the like.

Emplois d'Été en France (published in France, distributed by Vacation Work, UK). Annual listings (in French) of thousands of summer jobs available in France.

Footpaths of Europe Series (16 titles; Robertson McCarta, UK). Route guides to most areas of France including Corsica, covering the system of GR footpaths, illustrated with 1:50,000 colour survey maps. These are English versions of the Topoguides des Sentiers de Grande Randonnée (CNSGR, Paris), which are widely available in France and not hard to follow with a working knowledge of French.

Mark Hampshell   Live and Work in France (Vacation Work, UK, o/p). An invaluable guide for anyone considering residence or work in France; packed with ideas and advice on job hunting, bureaucracy, tax, health, etc.

Haute-Savoie & Mont Blanc (Two Wheels, UK, o/p). The only English-language guide to mountain-biking, detailing fifty off-road routes of varying difficulty in that region.

Louisa Jones   Gardens of the French Riviera (Flammarion). The history and traditions of Riviera gardens accompanied by gorgeous photographs.

W. Lippert   Fleurs des Montagnes, Alpages et Forêts (Miniguide Nathan Tout Terrain, Paris). Best palm-sized colour guide if you want something to pack away with your gear in the mountains.

Carol Pineau & Maureen Kelly   Working in France (AL Books, US, o/p). A practical guide, aimed at American readers, on how to get jobs in France, highlighting the cultural differences that affect job interviews and business practice generally.

Kev Reynolds   Walks and Climbs in the Pyrenees (Cicerone Press, UK). The classic English guide for walking in the Pyrenees.

Georges Véron   Haute Randonnée Pyrénées (Randonnées Pyrénéennes, Paris; Gastons-West Col, o/p). East-to-west description of the High Level route across the Pyrenees.