In none of Gautier's works is the peculiar nature of his genius more strikingly displayed than in "Mlle. De Maupin." It is an exquisite lyric in prose, a glorious song in praise of the author's ideal—Beauty. The pages of this book offer a delight as choice as it is rare. Swinburne called it "the golden book of spirit and of sense." Gautier possesses above all things the instinct of a painter. He rejoices exceedingly in form, light and color, and commands a language adequate for the expression of literature and the sister arts of painting and sculpture.