Céleste Albaret was Marcel Proust's housekeeper in his last years, when he retreated from the world to devote himself to In Search of Lost Time. She could imitate his voice to perfection, and Proust himself said to her, "You know everything about me." Her reminiscences of her employer present an intimate picture of the daily life of a great writer who was also a deeply peculiar man, while Madame Albaret herself proves to be a shrewd and engaging companion.

Margaret Mead collaborated with her long-time colleague Rhoda Métraux in this unique study of French culture. The Hoover Institute at Stanford University originally published this volume, which grew out of the Columbia University project on Research of Contemporary Cultures in 1954. It is one of the few works by American social scientists dealing with broad themes of French life. Mead and Métraux present a vivid picture of the French starting with the organization of the house and its architecture, and drawing original conclusions for the structure of French families and overall cultural values. This work, long out of print, is a fascinating and penetrating portrait of a contemporary European society.

My greatest debt in the writing of this book is to my teacher Dr. Ulrich Middeldorf, who taught me the methodology of research in art history, and who guided my studies of art theory and criticism. This study, which in an earlier form was accepted as a doctoral dissertation by the University of Chicago, was begun under Dr. Middeldorf's guidance, and during all stages of its preparation I benefited from his invaluable suggestions and criticism. A United States Government Grant enabled me to complete my researches on Rembrandt in the Netherlands, where I studied at the Rijksuniversiteit te Utrecht with Dr. J.G. van Gelder, who was particularly generous with his knowledge and time. He read the manuscript and proofs, and offered numerous suggestions and additions which have been of great benefit to me. Special acknowledgement is made to the Kunsthistorisch lnstituut der Rijksuniversiteit te Utrecht for generously finding a place for this study in the Utrechtse Bij dragen tot de Kunstgeschiedenis. I am also much indebted to Dr. H. Schulte Nordholt of the Kunsthistorisch lnstituut for his valuable advice and his help inseeing the book through the press.