This volume should be of great interest to anyone involved in the heritage business, as well as students of the cultural history of France in the 19th century. It consists of the correspondance between Ludovic Vitet, the first man to hold the title of Inspector of Historic Monuments under the July Monarchy of 1830, and Prosper Merimee, his successor of 1834. Their letters raise questions of how best to conserve and restore imperilled monuments on a miserable budget, with architects and other staff who could cause as many problems as they solved. Out of their discussions we see a French doctrine of restoration defined - to conserve more than to restore, and never to create or reconstruct. Revised and updated version of the 1934 1st edition.