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David Abram Trekking in Corsica (Trailblazer, UK). Trailblazer's guide to the island's long-distance footpaths covers the GR20, Mare a Mare Nord & Sud and Mare e Monti Nord routes, as well as the Campomorro–Roccapina coast path. Even allowing for our inevitable bias this is the most comprehensive book of its kind in English, with lively route descriptions and background features, plus 67 hand-drawn trekking maps. You also get a handy full-colour field guide to common Corsican flora.

James Bromwich The Roman Remains of Southern France (Routledge, UK). 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.

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, France). 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.

Patricia Wells The Paris Cookbook (Kyle Cathie, UK). American journalist and long-time resident of the capital, Patricia Wells takes her inspiration for these sophisticated recipes from her favourite Parisian restaurants, shops and markets.