With no pun intended, one could say that the Detroit Public Library is in indeed a classic building with its styling heavily influenced by the early Italian Renaissance. It is a wondrous structure to behold and Cohn and Merritt's richly illustrated volume aptly shows the current library in all its glory.This is not a history of the Detroit Public Library, although there is some history present within the text along with an informative timeline. The authors provide no additional readings to accompany their text, nor do they cite sources to support their narrative. Frank Woodford's magisterial survey, which appeared in 1965, remains the major treatment of the library's development from its beginnings in the early part of the nineteenth century. It would be nice if someone could update that volume, since it is now fifty years old—perhaps some enterprising young librarian historian will take on that task!This book is the result of a docent-led library tour organized by Cohn and Merritt in late 2013 called “Discover the Wonders of the Detroit Public Library: An Art and Architecture Tour.” The need for a book to accompany the tours led to the creation of the present volume. It focuses on the architectural wonders of the main building, and has little to say about the various branch libraries scattered throughout Detroit. Cohn, the lead author, has a degree in art history, has worked as a registered nurse, and has also served as a docent for the library since 2008. Merritt, a professional librarian for over three decades, led the library's Friends Foundation for a number of years.The library was designed by the well-known architect Cass Gilbert (1859–1934), who also created the Woodworth Skycraper building in New York City as well as Minnesota's state capitol. Gilbert also dabbled in campus planning with contributions to the ultimate design of the universities of Minnesota and Texas, among many other projects. He believed that architecture should serve the social order and honor historical traditions. One gets a real sense of the impact of historical architecture on Gilbert with the grand architectural elements and ornamentation of the Detroit library building. The authors keep the narrative parts of the book rather brief. Readers wanting a more sophisticated scholarly analysis of the library and its growth will need to consult Woodford's 1965 text.Wayne State University Press has done an impressive job with this book. The illustrations are clearly presented and quite numerous. The reader gets a real sense of the building and its glorious architecture and artwork. Photo captions are informative without being burdensome. The book takes the library chronologically through the twentieth century, presenting information about the various renovations the building received over the years.Overall, this is an impressive work, and given the abundance of color illustrations, the book retails at a reasonable price. At the book's conclusion there is a short section that profiles the various photographers whose works grace its pages. So, while Cohn and Merritt have not crafted an historical work per se—such was never their intention—the Detroit Public Library will serve as a well-illustrated, noncritical, survey of the library's twentieth-century journey, at least until some energetic young scholar can update the 1965 Woodford history.