The Impressionists are the most famous French Art Movement of the late 19th Century. At about the same time, France was also producing a great school of historical painters and illustrators. Edouard Detaille in my opinion was the greatest historical painter/illustrator of the 19th Century. Do not buy L'Armee Francaise for the text. It is an English translation of stilted and heavily baroque 19th Century French. However, the illustrations are simply amazing! This is one of my favorite books.

An important source of 19th century military history is the beautifully illustrated, two-volume work, L'Armée Française, produced in 1883 by the renowned military artist Edouard Detaille, with text by Jules Richard. Through his remarkably detailed and beautiful artwork, Detaille has rendered a compelling look at this most dramatic era of warfare dominated by the French art of war, military organisation and uniform styles. This classic work has been known for over a century in its French edition and is now translated into English for the first time. This lavish reprint contains the entire two-volume translation, and is richly illustrated throughout with Detaille's original published artwork depicting accurate portrayals of uniforms and military life. The book has been further embellished with an additional full-colour section displaying other works by the artist.Contains the entire translation plus over 300 illustrations from the original artwork by the military artist, and gives background information on regimental histories, army organizations, recruitment, training, battledress and equipment.L'Armée Française is the only military history book of its kind, giving background information on regimental histories, army organisations, recruitment, training, battle dress and equipment of the soldiers of France. It is a guide to the French armies that fought in the Napoleonic Wars, Crimean War, the Mexican Expedition, the Conquest of North Africa, and the Franco-Austrian and Franco-Prussian Wars, as well as a contemporary look at peacetime army in the late 19th century.No one can make a serious study of military history without becoming familiar with the wars fought by the armies of France.

This book is superb. Profusely illustrated by French artist Eduard Detaille, it covers the French Army from 1790-1885, describing in great detail the combat arms, staff, schools, gendarmerie, the navy, and the 'bric a brac' of the arms and services.

There are numerous tables of commanders of units and orders of battle, and the text is comprehensive; trying to keep up with its pace is like being force fed with a firehose. Quite simply, it gives an amazing amount of detail is what is actually quite a small space. There are both color and black and white illustrations, and they definitely have the look and feel of the 'smell of gunpowder.' Detaille was one of the best military artists of all time, and this book shows of his work perfectly.

Having seen the original volumes in French, this translation and edition have lost nothing in the trasition. The detail and minutiae are amazing, from the formation of the not-properly-sanctioned 15th Cuirassier Regiment in Hamburg by Marshal Davout in 1813 to the conquest of Algeria, this volume has much information that was not available before in English. It is a definite must for the military historian.

Much of the book is about the French Armies of the Revolution and Napoleon's Grande Armee, which is fine with me, as it is my favorite period. You can ride once again with the cavalry of the Empire, work those terrible guns of the Imperial Guard that tore allied armies to pieces, or sweat in the ranks with the infantry of the line (infanterie du ligne) as they go on just one more forced march into the thunderous hell that was combat in the Napoleonic period.

Highly recommended and you won't be disappointed.

Michel Dufrenoy is a man born out of time. Possessing the soul of an artist, he lives in a time when the artist is despised, and the industrialist is utterly triumphant. Where can Michel go to fit in? What place can an artist find in the Paris of 1960?

Jules Verne wrote this short book in 1863, but his publisher rejected it as unrealistic. In many ways, what Verne wrote was prescient. He wrote about electric lights, asphalt streets and motorcars, but he went far beyond that. He foresaw the future degradation of art ("I've even heard of a certain Courbet, at one of his last exhibitions, showed himself, face to the wall, in the performance of one of the most hygienic but least elegant actions of life!"), and the deconstruction of history in mass entertainment ("...History must be raped if she is to bear a child. And she was made to bear any number, who themselves bore no resemblance to their mother!")

This book is highly polemical in nature. Verne makes quite clear his distaste for capitalism and its concomitant mindset. Also, this story offers no great insight, but merely warns. I found the story fascinating for its seeming precognition, but did not find the story particularly entertaining. Therefore, I give this book a qualified recommendation--read this book as an interesting historical document, but not as an entertaining story.

An entertaining, funny and immensely readable story of Michel and his life in Paris in 1960, this "lost novel" goes well beyond a mere technical description of all the modern conveniences. It forces the reader to ask the question are we really better off with all the technology that surrounds our lives. From an elaborate train system whisking Parisians around the city to smog and the decline of the arts, Verne has pretty well described modern life from his perch in the mid 19th century.

As we near the year 2000, we should all take a look at the effects that modern society has on family life, marriage, the environment and culture. This book should be on all university reading lists.

Jules Verne is best known as an early science fiction writer. As most readers know, his "Inventions" include the atomic submarine (20,000 Leagues ...). In "Paris..." he is more of a futurist in the vein of George Orwell. In fact Orwell's writing style in "1984" is very similar to this book. Verne forsees the 20th century clearly but misses some important 19th century innovations. He writes about elevated rapid transit trains and computers. However, his Paris does not have inside toilets, an invention from a few years after the book was written. The plot - and there is one is - expounds the difficulties which a non-technical person has in a highly technical society. It is a first class tragedy. The society has no use for "The classics." Books, plays, etc. are written by committees with the aid of computers. Even the job of soldiering as an occupation is gone since modern technology has made war obsolete. Summing up, "Paris in the 20th Century" is fascinating to read while remembering when it was written and the plot although weak, still carries the book through to its sad conclusion.

I had a lot of trouble finding this book, and it wasn't worth it. What it has to say is so-so and it takes years saying it. Locke is a lot more interesting than this unimportant, dried-up book ever lets on.