The book documents the creation process that resulted in the publication of Paris mortel by Johan van der Keuken (1938-2001) in 1963. In addition to an extensive introduction and background information provided by the composer Willem van Zoetendaal, the book contains a selection of photographs from Van der Keuken’s Paris period (1956-1958) that have never been published before, (85 photographs). These photographs include many that were taken in the 12th arrondissement where he lived, and these closely resemble those incorporated by the photographer in the final dummy version of 160 pages and 132 photos.