Paris: An Architectural Guide

Rating:
Summary: Quick summaries of major Parisian buildings with photos
Review: This is a fairly slim volume of photos and text on many of the major or influencial buildings and monuments in Paris. There are about 2-3 entries per page, with each entry containing a small black-and-white photo and brief text.

The concise text is informative and focused primarily on the architectural history of each structure, usually including the name of the architect and highlighting the significant architectural aspects of the structure. The choices of structures reviewed is a good mix, including both major structures and minor, but influencial, structures.

While I did learn a few things from the book, I would have appreciated a much more in-depth study of each structure. The photos are also often tightly focused on individual structures, making it difficult to understand the structure in relation to its context within the city. The book is organized by time period, rather than geographical location, which also makes it harder to follow the tapestry of each quarter and how the buildings flow into and influence each other.