Clemente, Maribeth 1962-

PERSONAL:

Born 1962. Education: Attended the Sorbonne, University of Paris; Simmons College, B.A. (international management and fine art). Hobbies and other interests: Cycling, skiing.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Pagosa Springs, CO. Agent—c/o Author Mail, St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010. E-mail—maribeth@therichesof.com.

CAREER:

Travel writer. Chic Promenade, Paris, France, founder and owner, 1987-94.

WRITINGS:

The Chic Shopper's Guide to Paris, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1991.

The Riches of France: A Shopping and Touring Guide to the French Provinces, St. Martin's Griffin (New York, NY), 1997.

The Riches of Paris: A Shopping and Touring Guide, St. Martin's Griffin (New York, NY), 2001.

Contributor to periodicals and Web sites.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

Our Own Tour de France, the story of a dating couple who cycle in France and attend the Tour de France.

SIDELIGHTS:

Maribeth Clemente was captivated by Paris when she first visited France at age sixteen, and she later returned to the city to spend a year studying at the Sorbonne. Attending Simmons College where she studied international management and fine arts, Clemente found herself back in Paris at the age of twenty-five. There she founded a tour company called Chic Promenade, which guided out-of town shoppers through the Parisian shopping experience. Clemente compiled information about her favorite places into her first book, The Chic Shopper's Guide to Paris.

In the mid-1990s Clemente left her tour company to devote more time to writing about her favorite subject. The result was The Riches of France: A Shopping and Touring Guide to the French Provinces, in which she provides a wealth of information for those planning a French shopping spree, from advice regarding trip planning and regional specialties to dining and lodging. Library Journal contributor Stephanie Papa noted that The Riches of France is a lively read due to Clemente's "humorous first-person voice" and inclusion of "plenty of anecdotes."

Clemente's third book, The Riches of Paris: A Shopping and Touring Guide, updates and expands upon her first volume on the subject of shopping in France's capital city. Clemente guides readers through various shops, restaurants, boutiques, and spas. While she does include a section on bargains, the destinations mentioned are mostly upscale; as June Sawyers wrote in the Chicago Tribune, "Using her vast insider's knowledge of Parisian culture, [Clemente] shares her edge on the best boutiques, restaurants, wine cellars." Linda M. Kaufmann concluded in Library Journal that "This well-written but specialized book should be used to supplement more traditional travel guides to Paris."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Chicago Tribune, July 22, 2001, June Sawyers, review of The Riches of Paris: A Shopping and Touring Guide, p. 12.

Library Journal, August, 1997, Stephanie Papa, review of The Riches of France: A Shopping and Touring Guide to the French Provinces, p. 114; April 1, 2001, Linda M. Kaufmann, review of The Riches of Paris, p. 120.

ONLINE

Riches of Web site,http://www.therichesof.com/ (June 17, 2003).*