Charles Marville (1813–79) was the photographer commissioned to record Paris as it transitioned from overgrown medieval hub to city of boulevards, parks, and monuments. This book, released to celebrate the centennial of the birth of Marville (born Charles-François Bossu), includes not only images of Paris new and old but also an overview of Marville's career. It can be enjoyed both as a slice of photographic history and as a collection of gorgeous and sometimes ghostly black-and-white photos of 19th century Paris. (University of Chicago Press, $60, 245 pp.)
