Customer Reviews

Knopf Guide: The Louvre (Knopf Guides)

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3 star:		(1)
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A treasure trove of images and information making it almost redundant to go to the Louvre itself. Too bad there are not guides like this for the Musee D'Orsay and other museums of Paris. It seems that the guide should have been expanded to include the other museums since the Knopf city guide book gives the others so little space.

Only half the book is actually devoted to the collection. The rest of the book is about the history of the Louvre and what's around the Louvre. The maps were so tiny they were about impossible to see, and in some sections were just absent. For instance, the Italian painting section, I could never find a map for and spent a long time wandering about trying to find specific paintings (Titian). Unforunately, there does not seem to be much of an alternative. The limited catalog that they sell there is probably a better option, or the section that most guide books have is probably adequate. The collection is so huge and this book so limited, it was hardly worth even bringing along.

I'm never going to Paris and the Louvre without this guide. It shows background about the history also as many pictures about the works of art. I dont know any comparative.

A viable alternative with good reproductions and complete floor plans would be "The Louvre (Art & Architecture)" by Gabriele Bartz and Eberhard Konig, ISBN: 3829026471.

This guide book is profusely illustrated, well written, and well laid out. It offers good descriptions, rare photographs and picures, behind both the museum, and the principal works within

As the Louvre is just so darn big, you need this book if for no other reason than to whittle down the museum to what interests you. New York City's Met. is big, but frankly, the whole Met. would be one half of one floor, of one wing, in the Louvre. Most Knopf guides are very detailed and thoughtfully written and this is no exception. Indispensible for your visit(s) to the Louvre.

I received this book as a gift when I left to study abroad in Paris a few years ago. I went to Paris to study art and I found this book to be an excellent guide to this fantastic museum. It is so interesting and informative. And when you are done visiting the Louvre, you have an excellent souvenir!