Cities: Then & Now [Hardcover]

Jim Antoniou (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1999 | ISBN-10: 078581115X | ISBN-13: 978-0785811152

History's most fascinating landmarks are brought to life in vivid see-through reconstructions in this richly illustrated series. Cities: Then & Now documents how places such as Rome, Prague, and San Francisco appeared in their initial changes and how they have changed throughout history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Fourteen of the world' great major cities are selected for study in a title which illustrates their past images and present changes. Each city features a major site and each presentation includes a highlight of a key turning point in the city's image, with vivid overlapping maps illuminating major change. -- Midwest Book Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Book Sales (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078581115X
• ISBN-13: 978-0785811152
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 9.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,038,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and beautifully executed, February 16, 2001

By 

audrey (white mtns) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Cities: Then & Now (Hardcover)

This book is marvelous.

Eighteen cities are depicted: Athens, Rome, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Florence, Barcelona, Prague, Amsterdam, Mexico City, Paris, London, Washington D.C., Sydney, Moscow, Tokyo, San Francisco, Hong Kong and New York. To each is devoted seven to nine pages of material which include a short history of the city, a description of major architectural features of the place, a half- to three quarter-page photograph of the present-day location and a high-quality overlay with depictions of structures now long gone.

The introduction discusses the evolution of the city and various influences which affected its development in different areas of the world.

The content of the text and the presentation make the history of these places dynamic and interesting; if you are interested in cities and/or history, this would be a wonderful addition to your collection.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lacks Depth, June 25, 2001

By 

C. D. Murphy (Natick, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cities: Then & Now (Hardcover)

I like this book because of it's uniqueness, but I can't help but think of how much better it could be. The text is weak and lacks any insight. To be honest, if there were no text, you wouldn't even notice.

The overlays are the most imporatant aspect and can be really iteresting. But they can also be fairly crude and limited. In the long run, I would rather see this technique applied to more travel books with multiple overlays for any city. For example if this technique was used for, say, Paris, and the overlays were used for many areas of the city, I think it would be fabulous. Also an expansion of the timeline, with more than one era shown would be really fun.

So I would have to say it's "eh" (shoulder shrug).

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is so fun!, May 21, 2001

By 

BrownieBabe "browniebabe" (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cities: Then & Now (Hardcover)

I got this book as a birthday present. As a total architecture nerd, I got SO into reading about the early metropolitan areas and how they've changed. A MUST-READ for any avid city-dweller, or a fellow architecture nerd. Definitely not a serious text on architecture or urbanism, but educational all the same.