Book Reviews: Louis Vuitton, The Spirit of Travel

The story of Louis Vuitton’s empire has a truly fairytale beginning, with the 14-year-old escaping a wicked stepmother and harsh miller’s life at the foot of the Jura mountains. His trek to Paris took two years on foot, but when he arrived in 1837 he was apprenticed to Mr. Maréchal, a specialist in making boxes and packing cases for the transportation of luxury goods. Vuitton learned his craft and, 17 years later, set up on his own at a time when political and social changes conspired to bring him great success.

This 172-page tome is, to pardon the pun, something of a mixed bag. Its pocket-size, rounded corners and partial dust cover give it the look of a travel book; something to accompany your LV cases on their travels. But while it’s nicely produced with highlights in gold ink, devotees of the brand will be disappointed in its diminutive size – and resultant small imagery – plus a rather scattergun approach to the subject matter.

Louis Vuitton: The Spirit of Travel, by Patrick Mauriès and Pierre Léonforté. Published by Flammarion. £19.99 

From France Today magazine