STEVE AND CAROLE IN VENCE

Books About Vence: 1950 to 1969

At first I was surprised to run across so many books (both old and new) about Vence. After all, it’s not really that big of a town (about 18,000 currently) and while we do get a fair amount of tourists, it’s not a big tourist destination compared to places like Nice, Antibes, Cannes, Saint-Paul-de-Vence and other places along the Côte d’Azur. But, the more I thought about it the less surprised I was. Vence is a special place and people have recognized that for a long time. It has such a rich history and the people who live here love this town dearly. It only makes sense that many of them would write about it.

Books about Vence go back hundreds of years. Of course, the older they are the more expensive and harder they are to find. I keep a constant eye out at bookstores, markets and other places that sell books and I’ve been able to find quite a few cool items over the last couple of years. I hope you enjoy looking at the wide range of books I’ve collected. If you have any questions about any of them, or would like more information, just drop me an email at steve@steveandcaroleinvence.com.

Steve and Carole in Vence - Vence by André Siegfried & Vincent Robert

Vence

by André Siegfried & Vincent Robert

1952 / French

Paperback

76 pages / 24cm x 19cm

A very interesting book with a 15 page introduction about Vence and then lots of photographs from the early 1950s. It’s a limited edition (I have #6, though it’s unclear what the total was) printed on special paper. My copy is signed by the author who wrote the introduction.

Steve and Carole in Vence - France - Vence - Côte d'Azur

Vence – France – Côte d’Azur

no author listed

1953 (?) / French

Paperback

36 pages / 16cm x 11cm

I suspect this little book dates from the early 1950s because it lists the Chapelle du Rosaire (which was finished in 1951). A wonderful little guide to Vence with sites, hikes, hotels, restaurants, and more.

You can download this book in PDF format, in French or an English translation I have created.

Steve and Carole In Vence - Histoire et Légendes de Vence

Histoire et Légendes de Vence

by Marie-Marcelle

1954 / French & English

Paperback

16 pages / 18cm x 14cm

This booklet from 1954 (with both French and English sections) recounts a bit of the history of Vence, including stories about Saint Veran, Charlemagne, Queen Jeanne and Bishop Godeau. It’s pretty short, but includes a cool fold-out map of the town.

You can download this book and map in PDF format.

Steve and Carole in Vence - Vence - Une Commune Un Évêché

Vence – Une Commune, Un Évêché

Raymond Bessan

1954 / French

Paperback

184 pages / 19cm x 14cm

A book dedicated to an in-depth history of the Catholic religion in Vence when it was a bishopric (a district under a bishop’s control). Covering the periods from 374 to the late 1700s.

Steve and Carole in Vence - 1er Festival International de Pétanque

1er Festival International de Pétanque

no author listed

1959 / French

Paperback

12 pages / 24cm x 16cm

A program for the First International Festival of Pêtanque held in Vence in 1959. Information about the rules, schedules of play, prizes and more for the festival.

You can download this book in PDF format, in the original French.

Steve and Carole In Vence - Terre de Provence - Vence - St-Paul-de-Vence by Louise Michel

Terre de Provence – Vence – St-Paul-de-Vence

by Louise Michel

1964 / French

Paperback

110 pages / 19cm x 14cm

A nice book with stories, histories, legends, festivals, landmarks and more about Vence and Saint-Paul-de-Vence. Some interesting black and white photographs from the 1960s

Steve and Carole in Vence - Dans la Fontaine du Peyra by Cecile Cantot

Dans la Fontaine du Peyra

by Cecile Cantot

1969 / French

Paperback

83 pages / 21cm x 15cm

A book of legends, stories, myths and more from in and around Vence. Several nice watercolor paintings included. A limited, numbered edition of which this is #1148.

Steve and Carole In Vence - Histoire de Vence

Histoire de Vence

by Marie-Marcelle

1969 / French & English

Paperback

40 pages / 19cm x 14cm

This is a reprint of the same booklet from 1954 (they changed the title slightly). It has the exact same content except it does not contain the little fold-out map of Vence. The printing is much bigger, so it’s over twice the number of pages as the earlier version.