The Louvre: An Architectural History

Rating:
Summary: Lush photos of the Louvre's greatest artwork - itself
Review: This book is a must have for anyone who has ever fallen in love with the Louvre. The photos are incredible, with many panoramic views as well as detailed shots. Finding books on the works of art contained *in* the Louvre is easy, but this is the best book I've seen on the fantastic artwork that is the buildings, rooms, and courtyards of the Louvre itself.

I also loved the historical info on the Louvre provided by the text. Simple staircases I have walked down a number of times suddenly have rich meaning and context for me now. And I appreciated the focus on all parts of the Louvre complex. There's info on the more popular, touristy parts of the Louvre, like the pyramids and Denon, but also details on the more out-of-the way spots tucked away in Sully or elsewhere.

The only problems I found with the book are that the historical info at times assumes that the reader knows quite about about French history. If your history is lacking in a certain period, the text can be a bit hard to follow. I also would have appreciated maps and floorplans of the Louvre to remind me where each area being discussed is and how it relates to the other areas.

Still, reading through this book is the next best thing to actually being in the Louvre.