Customer Reviews

Taj Mahal: A Story of Love and Empire (Wonders of the World Book)

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Elizabeth Mann has created a series of non-fiction books on the great buildings of world civilization. Her series explores structures ranging from the pyramids of ancient Egypt to the Empire State Building. Each book combines history and a description of the building techniques that were used to create the structure.

Built in the Seventeenth Century, the Taj Mahal was the cultural high point of the great Mughal Empire that once ruled the India. Mann begins her story by explaining of the origins of the Mughal Empire and then moves on to a detailed description of how the Taj Mahal was built. Her story is enrichened through the use of miniature paintings produced during the era. In turn, these illustrations are supplemented by new detailed illustrations created in the Persian miniature tradition.

Elizabeth Mann writes well and does a great job of explaining a history that will be unfamiliar to most of her readers. The carefully rendered illustration add an additional layer of pleasure to the book. This book is a great purchase for children who love that heady combination of history and architecture. Highly recommended.