The Pocket Louvre: A Vistor's Guide to 500 Works

Encyclopedic in its scope and exhausting in its magnitude, the Louvre has vast collections ranging from the 6th century B.C. to the mid-19th century. Its impressive architecture goes back 800 years, to its origins as a fortress guarding medieval Paris. In its contemporary incarnation, recently reconfigured and rebaptized "The Grand Louvre", it spreads over four levels and boasts more than 30,000 works of art; its galleries, shops, and offices occupy some 1.72 million square feet, with some 645,000 square feet dedicated to exhibitions.<P>Such daunting dimensions can make the museum feel like an endless labyrinth to the uninitiated visitor, and so The Pocket Louvre offers invaluable help, including: <BR>-- A handy user's guide, providing all the necessary information about access to the museum and to its many services, from cards to post office to shops.<BR>-- Suggested itineraries for visits of varying lengths and for visitors with differing interests.<BR>-- A history of the Louvre's long and colorful existence, with particular attention paid to the evolution of its architecture, so that modern-day visitors can orient themselves within the historical context.<BR>-- A history of the collections, from the original royal treasure trove to Napoleon's museum for the people to its current position as one of the world's most important museums.<BR>-- An illustrated catalog of 500 masterpieces, all in color, with brief commentaries that will lure visitors to find and enjoy these works within the museum.

A guide to one of the world's great art collections features floor plans to the eight-hundred-year-old building, five hundred illustrations of art dating back to the sixth century B.C., a history of the museum and building, and useful information about how to spend a fruitful day at the museum. Orig

Claude Mignot is a professor of art history at the University of Tours, France, specializing in the history of Parisian art and architecture of the 17th century.