From 1830 to 1900, many gifted young Americans, ambitious to excel, spent time in Paris - time which changed their lives and thus the course of American literature, medicine, art, architecture, music and dance. As David McCullough writes, "Not all pioneers went west." This book is a powerful narrative of those who had the initiative, courage, and sense of adventure to engage in a new experience not just for their own improvement, but to benefit their country.