Along French Byways (1900)

More about the book

It is not always easy for a writer, in selecting a title for a new book, to hit on one that exactly meets all the needs of the subject. There must often be some compromise, some sacrifice. Thus, in the case of the present volume, the title may prove misleading if taken too literally. The paths I trod were not always secluded, or those with which our tourists are unfamiliar; and I can only offer the excuse that they always receive a "byway" treatment. It is a book of strolling, a book of nature, a book of humble peasant life, intermingled with the chance experiences of the narrator. It has little to do with large towns, but much with rural villages, farm firesides, the fields, and the country lanes. I finish it with the hope that it may be accorded the same pleasant reception given its predecessor, "Among English Hedgerows." -- Clifton Johnson