The Louvre

In his fluent and fact-rich account of the building's many stages James Gardner...deftly combines the niceties of bricks, mortar and changing architectural styles with telling anecdotes and the broader historical context...with his eye for colour as well as architectural detail * Sunday Times * In his courageous and erudite new book, critic James Gardner is bold to take in, and take on, what few mortals have the chance or the stamina to do. Think of reading this book as the full experience you are temporarily denied today, or may never have had the energy to undertake. . .Open the book and enjoy the visit. * Washington Post * With its fast-moving and rich narrative, this truly excellent book needed to be written: the fascinating and turbulent story of the Louvre as a royal palace has been largely eclipsed by its much shorter and more famous life as a museum. Here both parts of its long history have been splendidly recounted. -- Philippe de Montebello, Director Emeritus, The Metropolitan Museum of Art The perfect balance of architectural and social history, full of fascinating and unexpected detail, and salted with delightfully sly wit. -- Jacky Colliss Harvey, author of RED: A Natural History of the Redhead James Gardner makes the walls talk. He traces the many metamorphoses of the Louvre, revealing how from its humble origins as a fortress it has come to occupy the heart of Paris and the centre of French - and indeed world - culture. His remarkable achievement is to show us how the building is every bit as spectacular and as fascinating as the treasures it holds. -- Ross King, author of BRUNELLESCHI'S DOME