Tracing the extraordinary architecture of 19th-century France, this book incorporates many of the glories of the period in photographs and drawings. The architects of that era mined the past, drawing on the Classical, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods, and also looked to the future for inspiration. The Napoleonic era gave birth to Neo-classical monuments that recall Imperial Rome; the grand projects of the Second Empire created much of the Paris we know today; and new technology revolutionized architecture and spawned spectacular iron-and-glass railway stations, covered markets, exhibition halls, department stores, and landmark buildings such as Henri Labrouste's libraries and Gustave Eiffel's famed tower. The end of the century saw the rise of Art Nouveau, exemplified by Hector Guimard's flamboyant Paris Metro stations. The author is an architect and engineer who has written many books and articles on 19th- and 20th-century architecture.