PHILIP JODIDIO is the author of numerous books on architecture, including Architecture: Art, Architecture: Nature, Under the Eaves of Architecture, and The Aga Khan Museum Toronto (all by Prestel). He lives in Grimentz, Switzerland

I. M. Pei's glittering addition to the Louvre Museum in Paris has already become an iconic emblem of France's past and future. It is as immediately recognizable as the Eiffel Tower and as mysterious as the Egyptian pyramids it references. This book looks at the Louvre pyramid, beginning with the earliest sketches by Pei and his lead design architect, Yann Weymouth, and includes photographs of the entire construction process. It contains details about the unique engineering and architectural considerations-from the pyramid's highly polished glass to its intricate system of girders and cables. This volume also features a preface by the architect himself.