This sumptuous artistic tribute to the city of lights-sure to please Francophiles on your gift list- brings Paris to life in paintings that range from medieval to modern. With such classics as Manet's "Bar at the Folies-Bergère, " Watteau's "Enseigne de Gersaint" and even Robert Doisneau's legendary photograph  "Baiser Hotel de Ville" the book's editors (Georges Duby and Guy Lobrichon) provide a  visual journey through the city's picturesque life. With 350 full-color illustrations the book presents Paris from its earliest days as a city on the Ile de la Cité, through the tumultuous times of the French Revolution, to the city's "Haussmannization" to contemporary views depicting it as a multi-faced modern capital.