Customer Reviews

World Heritage Sites: A Complete Guide to 890 UNESCO World Heritage Sites

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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.

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 !

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!

I'm no expert on World Heritage sites but I think this book is pretty good. You get all the basic background to every site and it's a seriously weighty volume for it's compact size. It's not perfect as noted in the other reviews but I like it a lot. Good value for money too.

Enjoyed perusing the book. I couldn't believe how many sites there are. Divided up into areas according to geography and good pictures.

What does it take to make the register of World Heritage Sites? Is it age, a phenomenal location or a site of major cultural significance? Sure, but truth be known, there are ten discrete criteria used to determine inclusion on this elite list, among them a site must exhibit human creative genius, a significance in human history, natural phenomena, major stages of Earth's history or any of six other qualities as determined by the members of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Nine hundred and eleven sites have been so designated over the past 35 years from the initial choice of the Galapagos Islands to the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. The book, which features 650 pictures across a massive 856 pages, offers maps, photos and descriptions of the significant details of sites across all continents as well as the cultural, historic or geographic criteria used in the site's selection for inclusion on the list.

From the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia to the Dazu Rock Carvings in China, ancient and natural areas are singled out for their distinction and protection. Temples, cathedrals, national parks and portions of entire cities are among the highlights of UNESCO and while many sites are widely known worldwide (the Acropolis, Stonehenge, etc.) others are so obscure that the reader is likely to be encountering them for the very first time.

With the dawning of the digital age, "World Heritage Sites" might be a perfect contender for a CD-ROM or interactive style book. While this 856 page volume offers a good introduction to the range and scope of this global preservation program, more information, including interactive maps and timely updates, check out UNESCO's World Heritage Convention website here.

It was interesting to see the complete list and descriptions of the World Heritage Sites. I was interested in discovering how many of these sites I have been to. I have been to 139 of these sites in my travels.

We gave this book as a gift as she travels so much everywhere in the world. Have heard from her that itis very helpful.

This book was already out of date at publication as more sites were inscribed by UNESCO in July 2009 and the publishers failed to get them added. And it will of course become more so each year. So what does/can it offer to a prospective purchaser?
Well it is certainly a convenient "dumpy sized" single printed source about those sites. On the other hand, although it calls itself a "guide" no one is going to carry it around when most of us are unlikely to see more than a few of the sites on any one trip. Also it is almost totally lacking in "useful" guide-type information for help before seeing any sites - where exactly they are, how to get there, entrance fees, opening times/restrictions etc. Yet it isn't a "coffee table" book either - a surprising number of the sites don't have a photo provided and of those that do most are just stock photos from agencies and/or the most well known sites. The limited text is lifted almost verbatim from that which anyone can view on the UNESCO Web site - complete with any errors, plus a number of additional ones seeded in - I particularly liked the "invention" of a bird called the "Socotra Osprey" (it is actually an Egyptian Vulture) because that is what the Russian guy selling the photo on the Web (it is still available) called it!

And that is its main problem - it has been created on a "production line" without any visible input from first-hand knowledge of the sites or even of their backgrounds. It lacks any "added value". If you just want that convenient single printed source of information then buy it. But you could get the same and better off the Web - and updated regularly too.