Parisian museums, as not often seen in other cities around the world, bring out the shine in all artistic disciplines ; architecture, painting, sculpture, but also litterature and science.

In some we seem to be celebrating a cult ; they deserve to be called chapels. Others harbour monumental collections, or are simply devoted to a theme, a passion.

They allow us to discover our history, to project ourselves into the future, question our knouwledge, our taste.

In Essential Museums of Paris , Catherine Grive and Sylvain Sonnet take on a captivating ride through these spaces that are outside time, finely written and marvelously illustrated.

An invitation to dream and escape, in those places of memory, beauty and knowledge.