World Heritage Sites: A Complete Guide to 890 UNESCO World Heritage Sites [Paperback]

Firefly Books (Corporate Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2009

Updated for 2010, this guide fully describes every official UNESCO World Heritage site.

In 1959, UNESCO launched an international campaign to safeguard the world's most important sites, which led to the first World Heritage List. In clear text that highlights all the fascinating facts, this revised edition of World Heritage Sites details all 890 properties, including the 13 new sites added in 2009.

Covering 148 countries, the World Heritage List has proved to be a valuable tool in the battle to preserve much of the world's cultural and natural heritage. Its strict criteria result in only the world's most spectacular and extraordinary sites making it onto the list, including:

• The Statue of Liberty in New York
• The Rideau Canal in eastern Ontario
• Waterton Glacier International Peace Park, the world's first international peace park, which straddles the US-Canada border
• The ancient Nabataean city of Petra in Jordan
• The remarkable Dazu Rock Carvings in China
• Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Missouri, the largest pre- Columbian settlement north of Mexico
• The unique ecosystem of the Serengeti in Tanzania

The new sites added to this edition are:

• Stoclet House in Belgium
• The Ruins of Loropeni in Burkina Faso
• Cidade Velha, the historic center of Ribeira Grande, in Cape Verde
• Mount Wutai in China
• Shushtar, a historic hydraulic system in Iran
• The Dolomites in Italy
• The royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty in South Korea
• Sulamain-Too Sacred Mountain in Kyrgyzstan
• The Wadden Sea in Germany and the Netherlands
• The Sacred City of Caral-Supe in Peru
• The Tower of Hercules in Spain
• La Chaux-de-Fonds and le Locle, historic centers of watch-making and town-planning in Switzerland Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal in the United Kingdom

Featuring gorgeous photographs and updated maps, World Heritage Sites is uniquely comprehensive.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was founded in 1945 with the ambitious goal to build peace in the minds of men and women through education, social and natural science, culture and communication.

(20091115)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

World Heritage sites are decided each year by a 21-member intergovernmental committee only after a rigorous preselection, nomination, and evaluation process. According to this highly attractive and informative guide, selected sites “must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of ten selection criteria,” such as human creative genius, significance in human history, or natural phenomena or beauty. Moreover, “the protection, management, authenticity, and integrity of properties are also important considerations.” It is because of failures in some of these areas that certain properties have been removed from the list of World Heritage sites. What makes this compact, sturdily covered and bound paperback an invaluable reference book is its coverage of the complete list of current sites; organization by date of selection as well as access by country and alphabetical indexes; nearly 900 maps (including one the size of a large postage stamp pinpointing each site in its country and region); at least 100 words of text for each site, but in many cases a full page; and a photograph (from tiny to full page) for most of the sites. The dozens of entries given fullest coverage contain text and a small map on one page and a full-page or two half-page photographs on the facing page; such entries include Grand Canyon National Park, Old City of Jerusalem and Its Walls, and Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto. Though the phrase “recommended for all libraries” is overused, no school, public, or academic library could go wrong including the very affordable World Heritage Sites in both reference and circulating collections. The official World Heritage Web site, which includes many additional photographs and features, is also highly recommended. --Craig Bunch

Review

Highly attractive and informative. (Craig Bunch Booklist 20100215)

This treasure trove of a book ...shows how remarkable and beautiful our planet truly is. (Kathleen A. Welton Library Journal 20091101)

This volume is a must for the serious traveller's bookshelf. (Ryan Murdock Outpost Magazine 201002)

Think of it as the world's greatest hits. (Ellen Creager St. Paul Pioneer Press 20091122)

A fascinating look at these remarkable sites. (Ann Tutko-Peterson Valley Times 20091025)

A splendid gift [and] a record of what exists now and what once was. (Candace Fertile Victoria Times-Colonist 20091129)

A book of dreams. (Waterloo Region Record 20091212)

World Heritage Sites is a great reminder that it isn't just land that we need to protect. (Kyle Wagner Denver Post 20091025)

This book will take you around the world to the best natural and manmade features on the planet. (Terry Richard Oregon Live 20091123)

A treasure trove of information.... Readers are sure to be swept away by this all-encompassing testament to world culture. (Kirkus Reviews Reference Supplement 20100415)

Pat Carrier, owner of the Globe Corner, says his customers have been very enthusiastic about World Heritage Sites. (Beth J. Harpaz ABC News 20100601)

[There's not a] guidebook that comes closer to painting a complete picture about such a large body of tourism haunts. (Ann Tatko-Peterson San Francisco West County Times 20100601)

Most places-to-see-before-you-die books are a dime a dozen, but this one comes with the moral authority of the United Nations. (Rob Howatson Westworld 20110301)

Best Reference 2009 (Library Journal 20101209)

Impressive...a true travelogue throughout the book, as we are taken to the most beautiful sites the world has to offer. (Shelf Life 201103)

Really a great and informative publication! (www.digonsite.com )

This 856-page volume offers a good introduction to the range and scope of this global preservation program. (Blog on Books )

Guides you to visually thrilling locales around the world. (Sheldon Kirshner Canadian Jewish News )

This book would be a great addition to reference sections of public and junior and senior high school libraries. (Victoria Pennell Resource Links Vol. 16 No. 4 )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 840 pages
• Publisher: Firefly Books; Updated edition (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1554074630
• ISBN-13: 978-1554074631
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.3 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,471 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too superficial -- disappointing, October 18, 2009

By 

Readz Alot (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: World Heritage Sites: A Complete Guide to 890 UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Paperback)

There are, as of late 2008, nearly 900 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This book contains 832 rather small pages, including multiple indexes, maps, and introductions. Which should tell you the biggest issue with the book -- there isn't nearly enough room to do justice to the subject.
For each site we get a heading (name, location, reason for designation, and a small map), and a brief-to-very-brief summary of the history of the area and why it deserves UNESCO protection. Most of the sites also get a picture ... very rarely two.
Most sites get a single page, a few get two pages, and quite a number get only half a page. The half-page write-ups usually lack even a single picture.
Now... one could argue that the 2-page sites ARE most worthy of the most attention; they are, after all, by and large the most important.

But one could also argue that these are the sites with which readers are ALREADY most familiar. Raise your hand if you have never seen a picture of (or visited) Stonehenge. Great Wall of China. Taj Mahal. Petra. The Grand Canyon. Uluru/Ayers Rock. Pyramids of Giza. The Acropolis.
Now raise your hand if you have EVER seen a picture of (or have even heard of or can name the country...) Royal Palaces of Abomey. Skocjan Caves. Dja Faunal Reserve. Lord Howe Island. Zamosc. Joya de Coren. The Rock Carvings of Tanum. As you've probably guessed, none of these latter group get a picture, or more than the briefest of write-ups.

This topic really deserves a far larger and more detailed book -- at minimum a large format 'coffee table' hard-back, or at best, a multi-volume set. Failing that, the UNESCO website contains a list of all their sites, with more pictures and at least as much description and links to other websites.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW -- a perfect gift for the well traveled explorer !, November 30, 2009

By 

B. Olson (Brookline, MA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: World Heritage Sites: A Complete Guide to 890 UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Paperback)

this is a fabulous document!
it's the perfect gift at a bargain price, for the well traveled explorer !
as an architect, i was delighted to receive my own personal copy ...
it certainly has helped me realize how many special places throughout the world .. that I MUST see !
this book includes everything from A to Z ... and i continue to buy more and more copies ... and give them to my friends who love to travel !
i can't think of a better way to excite another about the treasures of this planet !

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic deal for the money, December 18, 2009

By 

Nancy Mackay (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: World Heritage Sites: A Complete Guide to 890 UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Paperback)

I got interested in World Heritage Sites when I was looking for an assignment topic for my graduate students. I've been hooked every since. This book is basically a recap of the online World Heritage List, [...], without the updates, threats, and the user photos input thanks to a partnership with TripAdvisor. But for those who prefer to settle back and armchair travel with a real book, this one can't be beat.

The book -- all 832 pages -- is organized chronologically, beginning with the very first World Heritage Site (Galapagos Islands, 1978) up to the publication date (Al-Hijr Archaeological Site, 2008). This is not the most logical way that readers would look for information. Nevertheless there are good maps and an index for finding the Sites geographically and alphabetically. Each site has 1/2-1 page description, a map, and an enticing color photo.

I will use this book for my travel daydreams. I can also see it being useful for parents and children to share, for educational purposes and for reference. Though the content doesn't match the website, it surely is a good substitute for browsing, learning, and daydreaming. Would make a great gift!