“In this travel guide and visual ode to the two cosmopolitan cities, Ratican compares and contrasts her two homes, declaring “Los Angeles is my husband, and Paris is my lover.” Ratican…celebrates the cities’ shared qualities as iconic birthplaces of cinema and excellence in cuisine… Illustrators Giriat and Lu not only capture the author’s joyous esteem for her subjects, but steal the show with their whimsical pop-art illustration depicting famed locales and various ephemera.”
Publishers Weekly Review
AUDIENCE
Why LA? Pourquoi Paris? is an evergreen that appeals to lovers of art, culture, and travel. It makes an engaging coffee table book or travel companion for buyers interested in Paris, Los Angeles, or both. It is particularly suited for gift giving and multiple-copy sales. We are excited to announce that our second edition of Why LA? Pourquoi Paris? is bilingual and provides widespread appeal to our English and French readers alike.
MEDIA COVERAGE & REVIEWS
Television
- AROUND THE WORLD
- OUR CITY TONIGHT
- TV VENDEE
Radio
Magazine
- DISCOVER HOLLYWOOD MAGAZINE
- FLAUNT MAGAZINE ONLINE
- COUNTRY & HOTELS
- FOREWORD REVIEWS
- AVENTURA MAGAZINE
- FACC LOS ANGELES
Lifestyle
Blogs
- VANCOUVERSCAPE
- ABSOLUTELY ALLI
- CELESTIAL REVERIES
- DETAIL ORIENTED TRAVELER
- THE NERDY GIRL EXPRESS
- WHITE CABANA
- THE BOOK PORTAL
- LOGANBRUIN
- MARIEL MENDOZA
- MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
- THE ADVICE SISTERS
- SARAH IN STYLE
- MISADVENTURES WITH ANDI
- THE ATLAS HEART
- TERESA JANE LA
- FOR TWO, PLZ
- SHELFQUEST
- AMAZON + GOODREADS
- GABRIELLA BOZZANO
- LOVEMYSHELF
Past Events
- MONSIEUR MARCEL
- MAISON ET OBJECT
- LE PETIT PARIS
- MERCI MERCI
AWARDS
- Nominated for the 2015 American Library in Paris Book Award.
- Boston Bookbuilders Award, Best in Category, 2015
- One of three finalists for Southern California Independent Book Sellers Award
(Glenn Goldman Award for Art, Architecture, and Photography)
SOCIAL MEDIA
- Over 10,000 active and engaged followers on Facebook and other social media platforms.
- Book Website: www.whylapourquoiparis.com
- Instagram and Twitter: #whylapourquoiparis
- Ecommerce Sites: Big Cartel and Etsy
- Video Trailer
LOCATIONS
Paris
Selection of stores in Paris carrying books, prints or cards.
Merci
111 Blvd Beaumarchais 75003 Paris
BHV
Rue de Rivoli 75001
Fleux
39,52 Rue Sainte-Croix de la Sainte-Bretonerie 75004
Publicis Drugstore
133 Champs Elysees 75008
L’EcumeDes Pages
174 Blvd. St. Germain 75006
Gibert-Joseph
X111 Librairie
LOS ANGELES
Selection of stores in Los Angeles carrying books, prints or cards.
Vroman’s Bookstore
695 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91101
Disney Concert Hall
111 S Grand Ave
Downtown LA
Hollywood Bowl
2301 Highland Avenue
Hollywood, CA
Norton Simon Museum
411 W Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91105
MOCA
250 South Grand Avenue
Downtown LA
Le Petit Paris – The Boutique
420 South Spring Street
Downtown LA
Please Do Not Enter
549 S Olive St
Downtown LA
PRESS RELEASES
Contact: Sarah Miniaci
856.489.8654 x329 (U.S.) / 647.464.8029 (CAN)
sarah.miniaci@smithpublicity.com
New Book Reveals the Stark Differences – and Surprising Similarities! – of the City of Stars & the City of Lights
“Los Angeles is my husband and Paris is my lover…”
Of all the world’s great metropolises, Paris and Los Angeles are among those that house the most significant and immediately recognizable cultural milieus. From the Champs-Élysées to the Sunset Strip, Marilyn Monroe to Brigitte Bardot, LACMA to Louvre, there is plenty for visitors and residents alike to fall in love with these storied cities – and in Why LA? Pourquoi Paris?, for the first time ever, they are revealed in parallel.
Written by Diane Ratican – a Los Angeles based entrepreneur who built a highly successful U.S.-France fashion import/export business, and calls Paris her second home – with illustrations by acclaimed artists Eric Giriat (Paris) and Nick Lu (Los Angeles), Why LA? Pourquoi Paris? is a gorgeous, full-color, 272-page collectible art book, travel guide, and personal journey. Playfully ‘connecting the dots’ between respective historical landmarks, architectural icons, style codes, and cultural peculiarities, Ratican weaves a compelling narrative throughout Why LA? Pourquoi Paris?, which is interspersed with quotes from famed L.A. and Paris residents such as Walt Disney, Jim Morrison, Coco Chanel, and Ernest Hemingway.
Colorful, charming illustrations by Girat and Lu – many of which are available to purchase as prints via online contemporary art dealer Image Republic – compare and contrast the foods, fashions, cultures, and cityscapes of the City of Stars and City of Lights. And, as an added bonus, precise GPS coordinates are included next to each illustrated page bringing the experience of these two incredible cities ‘off the page’ and into the real world!
Cleverly divided into seven distinct sections, Why LA, Pourquoi Paris? looks at:
-Cityscapes & Landmarks Magifiques
-Culture Célébre: Cinema, Entertainment & Glamour
-Fashion, Style & Shopping à la Mode
-Sports & Leisure
-Communicating Ideas: Art & Culture
-Cuisine & Dining
-Cities in Motion
“I have lived in Los Angeles most of my life, and never tire of waking up each day to it,” writes Ratican in the book’s foreword. “It is an eclectic, energetic, and stunningly beautiful place.”
“However, like a true Parisian woman who believes she can have the best of both worlds, Los Angeles is my husband and Paris is my lover,” she continues. “Paris has its own drama and majesty, and like no other city I have ever traveled to, enables me to experience the privilege of being who I really am.”
A singular, delightful, and beautiful addition to the art book market brimming with joie de vivre and cool California glamour, Why LA? Pourquoi Paris? is set for release in September 2017, and will be a must-have for the bookcases, coffee tables, and suitcases of jetsetter, art lovers, culture enthusiasts alike.
About the Author:
DIANE RATICAN received her bachelor of arts degree in History and Sociology from the University of California Berkeley, and then earned her master of arts degree in Sociology and Education from UCLA. She started her career educating gifted children, and then moved on to become a risk-taking entrepreneur who built a highly successful business importing children’s clothing from France for upscale retailers across the U.S. Ratican’s excitement for and infatuation with Paris, her second home, plus her enthusiasm for her resident city, Los Angeles, uniquely positions her to engage readers to develop their own love affair with both of these dynamic destinations.
About the Illustrators:
NICK LU is a graduate of Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, with a degree in illustration. Nick lives in Los Angeles and works as an illustrator; his clients include The New Yorker, Wired, The Boston Globe, Bloomberg View, and Macmillan Children’s Publishing.
Beginning with serial illustrations for the French edition of ELLE magazine in 1996, ERIC GIRIAT has since flooded the magazine, advertising, and book publishing industries in many fields internationally, from fashion to economics, politics, psychology, children’s books, interior design, the luxury industry, culture, and portraits. He also works with fashion and product design, designing T-shirt and pullover motifs for JOOP! (Germany), pillows, giant stickers, and skirts for Dona Fusion (Brazil); Cognac bottles for Hennessy, and an organic bag for La Grande Epicerie Paris.
About Why LA? Pourquoi Paris?:
The second edition of Why LA? Pourquoi Paris? will be released in September 2017, and retail for $26.95 USD / €25, with distribution by SCB Distributors in North America and Groupe Flammarion in France.
Interview: “Los Angeles is my husband, Paris is my lover…”
FROM MARILYN MONROE TO BRIGITTE BARDOT, A CHARMING INSIDE LOOK AT THE UNLIKELY ‘SISTER CITIES’ OF LOS ANGELES & PARIS!
A lifelong Angeleno, from the first time Diane Ratican stepped foot in Paris when she was an eighteen-year-old university student exploring Europe, she knew she was destined to live there.
A highly successful entrepreneur who built a business importing clothing from France for upscale retailers across the U.S., Ratican’s excitement for and infatuation with her resident city and second home have led her to create the stunning new book, Why LA? Pourquoi Paris? [Illustre Books, September 2017] – for the first time ever revealing the stark differences and surprising similarities between these dynamic destinations.
Accompanied by vibrant, colorful illustrations from acclaimed artists Eric Giriat and Nick Lu, in Why LA? Pourquoi Paris? Ratican acts as a captivating personal tour guide, with tips, stories, and quotes pertaining to their respective historical landmarks, architectural icons, style codes, and cultural peculiarities of the City of Angels and City of Lights.
“The day I turned sixteen and got my driver’s license was the day I realized what it really meant to live in Los Angeles,” Ratican recalls. “My free spirit was liberated! It is an eclectic, energetic, and stunningly beautiful place, and I never tire of waking up to it.”
“But Paris, like no other city I have traveled to, enables me to experience the privilege of being who I really am,” she continues. “I want to share my Los Angeles and my Paris with art, architecture, design, fashion, and culture lovers. With sociology and history degrees that practically force me to seek out, on an analytical level, the unique aspects of every situation I’m in, these two cities have kept me intrigued and captivated for decades, and knowing them has given me the feeling that I am experiencing something greater than the sum of its parts.”
Diane Ratican has select availability for feature/profile and expert commentary interviews around the September 2017 release of Why LA? Pourquoi Paris?. Among the topics she can speak to include:
What to see, do, wear, eat, and experience in Los Angeles: home of Hollywood glamour, the Sunset Strip, suburban sprawl, boho-chic, and so much more!
The beauty, drama, and history of Paris: from its most famed museums to little neighborhood cafés to bucolic parks, tips on savoring the sophisticated and simple pleasures of the City of Lights like a true Parisian
The Yin-Yang relationship of everyday life between L.A. and Paris: the surprising things these seemingly disparate cultures and landscapes share in common
Making the decision to follow your dreams: how she created a life wherein living in Paris and L.A. became a reality
Historical and cultural trivia about these two iconic cities
Why she says Los Angeles is like her husband and Paris is like her lover
And much, much more!
DIANE RATICAN received her bachelor of arts degree in History and Sociology from the University of California Berkeley, and then earned her master of arts degree in Sociology and Education from UCLA. She started her career educating gifted children, and then moved on to become a risk-taking entrepreneur who built a highly successful business importing children’s clothing from France for upscale retailers across the U.S. Ratican’s excitement for and infatuation with Paris, her second home, plus her enthusiasm for her resident city, Los Angeles, uniquely positions her to engage readers to develop their own love affair with both of these dynamic destinations.
Why LA? Pourquoi Paris? will be released in September 2017, and retail for $26.95 USD / €25, with distribution by SCB Distributors in North America and Groupe Flammarion in France.