Way of St James – France - A Walker's Guidebook

A walker's guide to the 740km Pilgrim Road from Le Puy-en-Velay in central France to the Pyrenees. The only original guide to this route in English. Gives directions for walking the route and also provides information on places to visit along the way, the history of the pilgrimage and the availability of practical facilities.

General
Atwood, Donald and John, C.R. Penguin Dictionary of Saints, 3rd ed (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1995)

Coleman, Simon and Elsner, John. Pilgrimage past and present in the World’s Religions (London: British Museum Press, 1995)

Davies, J.G. Pilgrimage yesterday and today: why? where? how?(London: SCM Press, 1988)
Studies the nature of pilgrimages and motives behind them, from patristic times to the Middle Ages, Protestant condemnation of pilgrimages and the 19th-century revival of pilgrimages amongst Protestants, ending with a review of the devotional aspects of modern pilgrmages.

Frey, Nancy Louise. Pilgrim Stories (Berkley & Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1998)
This refers specifically to the experiences of modern pilgrims along the road to Santiago de Compostela, before, during and after after making their pilgrimage, but the questions raised confront any modern pilgrim on a route where the journey itself, rather than the destination, is the real issue at stake.

Robinson, Martin. Sacred Places, Pilgrim Paths: an anthology of pilgrimage (London: Fount, 1997)
An anthology reflecting the experiences of pilgrims through the ages, dealing with places of pilgrimage, preparation for the journey, the journey itself, the inner journey, worship on the way and on arrival and the questions raised once the pilgrimage is over.

Eade, John and Sallnow, Michael J. (eds) Contesting the Sacred: the anthropology of Christian pilgrimage (London: Routledge, 1991)
Contributors examine particular Christian shrines (in France, Italy, Israel, Sri Lanka and Peru), analysing the dynamics of religious expression and belief but also the political and economic processes at local and global levels, emphasising that pilgrimage is primarily an arena for competing religious and secular discourses.

French, R.M. (trans) The Way of a Pilgrim (London: Triangle, 1995)
First published in English in 1930 this book was written by an unknown Russian pilgrim in the 19th century, telling the story of his wanderings from one holy place to another in Russia and Siberia in search of the way of prayer.

Way of St James
Barret, Pierre and Gurgand, Jean-Noël. Priez pour nous à Compostelle (Paris: Hachette, 1978)
An account of the authors’ journey from Vézelay to Santiago on foot, interspersed with parallel accounts of pilgrims from previous centuries. Contains a very extensive bibliography.

Bourdarias, Jean and Wasielewski, Michel. Guide Européen des Chemins de Compostelle (Paris: Fayard, 1997)
Guide to all the European routes to Santiago (from Holland, Denmark, Poland, Hungary, Brenner, Croatia, Italy and Portugal), as well as the currently more well-known routes through France and Spain. Contains maps, distances, over 800 photographs, history and descriptions of places, lives of saints and relevant Biblical extracts.

Mullins, Edward. The Pilgrimage to Santiago (London: Secker & Warburg, 1974, and London: Sigma Books, 2001)
An account of the art, architecture, history and geography of the pilgrim route from Paris to Santiago.

Neillands, Rob. The Road to Compostela (Ashbourne: Moorland Publishing Co, 1985)
An account of the author’s journey from Le Puy to Santiago by bicycle.

Shaver-Crandell, Annie and Gerson, Paula. The Pilgrim’s Guide to Santiago de Compostela: a Gazeteer (London/Langhorne: Harvey Miller, 1995)
730 entries and 575 illustrations describing all the relics of saints, important monuments, towns and buildings encountered by the 12th-century pilgrim along the four main routes through France and then in Spain. Includes a new translation of the Latin text of the Codex Calixtinus plus discussion of the pilgrimage phenomenon in the Middle Ages as well as the tradition of travel literature.

Tate, Brian and Marcus. The Pilgrim Route to Santiago (Oxford: Phaidon, 1987)
Explains the pilgrim phenomenon and the history of the shrine as well as discussing the different routes. Contains 137 photographic illustrations by Pablo Keller, 50 of them in colour.

Viellard, Jeanne. Guide du Pèlerin de Saint Jacques de Compostelle (Paris: Klincksieck, 4th ed 1989)
A French translation, on facing pages, of what is probably the first known guide book: Aymery Picaud’s 12th-century description of the pilgrim routes to Santiago.

The Pilgrim’s Guide: a 12th-century Guide for the Pilgrim to St James of Compostela, translated from the Latin by James Hogarth (Confraternity of St James, 1992)  

En Chemin vers Saint Jacques: guide spirituel du pèlerin (Conques [Communauté des Prémontrés]/Estaing [Hospitalité Saint Jacques], 2001)
Pocket-size (A6) booklet intended as a spiritual aid, containing themes for personal meditation, prayers and hymns and notes on the many saints whose churches, chapels and sanctuaries line the route