(blue cover) Somewhat surprisingly, this book does not focus entirely on the paintings and artwork from late 1800s Paris, but rather a wider, more general view of everything that was happening in and happening to Paris around that period... the architecture, the construction of the Boulevards, the Eiffel Tower, social change, prosperity, war and in turn, the art. This book acts as an accompanying piece for an exhibition of works from the Musee D'Orsay which toured Atlanta and Houston, from which the paintings, sculptures, photos and drawings are shown here, mostly as glossy full-page photographs. Apart from a few tiny typos and a slightly long-winded series of introductions from all the sponsors, this book is rather faultless. I found it more interesting, enjoyable and somewhat more academic than I expected. 4.5/5