The French cafe epitomizes the French art of living. Through its timeless glass doors float the aromas of strong coffee and black tobacco, hot milk and fresh croissants. The cafe, open early till late, is both focus and microcosm of society. Friends talk; lovers linger; the white saucers pile up as the world goes by; a lone customer comes in to read the newspapers or for a petit verre at the bar. The French cafe is a refuge, a place to meet, to sit, to see and be seen.

An essential book for anyone interested in French life and culture, here is a wonderfully new and intimate look at a great institution, from the grand establishments dating from the beginning of the century to the small rural bistro, from the workers' local cafes to the legendary Parisian cafes where the poets, painters and philosophers gathered. From Directoire decoration to Starck style, this book reveals the rich variety and extraordinary inventiveness of cafe design.