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Wonders of the World series
The Alhambra
• Robert Irwin
ART & ARCHITECTURE •
2004 •
PAPER
• 213 PAGES
In this brief, indispensable guide, Irwin introduces the stunning Moorish palace and fortress complex, revealing its mysteries, myths and significance with wit and insight. He opens with a romantic description of the fairytale structure, which he then deliciously demolishes. Includes a detailed floor plan, sketches and aerial photographs. A volume in the Harvard University Press series, Wonders of the World. Irwin is a British novelist and Islamic scholar.
(SPN226, $14.95) |
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The Buddhas of Bamiyan
• Llewelyn Morgan
HISTORY •
2012 •
HARD COVER
• 265 PAGES
For 1,400 years, two colossal figures of the Buddha overlooked the fertile Bamiyan Valley on the Silk Road in Afghanistan. Witness to a melting pot of passing monks, merchants, and armies, the Buddhas embodied the intersection of East and West, and their destruction by the Taliban in 2001 provoked international outrage. excavates the layers of meaning these vanished wonders hold for a fractured Afghanistan.
(CAS211, $19.95) |
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The Colosseum
• Keith Hopkins
• Mary Beard
ART & ARCHITECTURE •
2011 •
PAPER
• 224 PAGES
Hopkins and Beard, both classicists, sweep aside misconceptions, taking shots at Hollywood (and others) for perpetrating tales of gladiator-eating lions, Nero fiddling and other myths. A volume in the engaging "Wonders of the World" series, the book is a lively overview of the history of the Colosseum.
(ITL654, $14.95) |
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The Forbidden City
• Geremie R. Barme
• Mary Beard
HISTORY •
2012 •
PAPER
• 288 PAGES
A new and original history of Beijing's Forbidden City in the Wonders of the World series, stripping away mystique and mythology to deliver a clear portrait of the Beijing's cultural, political and architectural past.
(CHN468, $14.95) |
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The Parthenon
• Mary Beard
ART & ARCHITECTURE •
2010 •
PAPER
• 204 PAGES
Cambridge University classicist Mary Beard brings the Parthenon to life in this lively tale of the construction, significance and many uses -- cathedral, mosque, cultural icon -- of the 2,500-year-old Athenian marvel. With 24 black-and-white photographs, a few illustrations, site and building diagrams and a map. The book is both an introduction to the ancient Greeks and an engaging guide to the Parthenon. She opens with a chapter "Why the Parthenon Might make You Cry." A volume in the Harvard University Press series, Wonders of the World.
(GRE195, $14.95) |
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Piazza San Marco
• Iain Fenlon
HISTORY •
2009 •
HARD COVER
• 224 PAGES
Fenlon reveals the dynamic, colorful, and noisy history of this grand square at the heart of Venetian civic life in this sophisticated pocket guide. One in the excellent series, Wonders of the World, by Harvard University Press.
(ITA113, $19.95) |
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The Roman Forum
• David Watkin
HISTORY •
2009 •
HARD COVER
• 180 PAGES
Watkin reveals the history and purpose of the forum, including its Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque churches and nearby monuments in this sophisticated pocket guide and history. One in the excellent series, Wonders of the World, by Harvard University Press.
(ITA112, $19.95) |
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The Rosetta Stone and the Rebirth of Ancient Egypt
• John Ray
ART & ARCHITECTURE •
2012 •
PAPER
• 208 PAGES
This pocket book in the Wonders of the World series by Harvard University Press tells the story of the discovery, meaning and status of the celebrated Rosetta Stone -- the controversial and single most visited object on display at the British Museum.
(EGY260, $14.95) |
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St. Peter's
• Keith Miller
• Mary Beard
ART & ARCHITECTURE •
2012 •
PAPER
• 256 PAGES
Miller traces the magnificent baroque basilica's evolution from its original incarnation, built on the orders of Emperor Constantine, to its rebuilding in the middle ages and additions designed by Michelangelo, Bernini, and Maderno in this marvelous addition to the Wonders of the World series by Harvard University Press.
(ITL886, $14.95) |
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Stonehenge
• Rosemary Hill
ART & ARCHITECTURE •
2008 •
HARD COVER
• 224 PAGES
A monument to many things and to many people, Stonehgenge has attracted devotees of many persuasions over the centuries. It's the most famous prehistoric site in all Europe. Hill captures the enduing mystery and allure of the site in this cultural history and guide to its myth and mystery. She points out, for example, that there's no evidence that a druid ever set foot on Salisbury Plain, much less King Arthur or Merlin.
(GBR795, $19.95) |
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Taj Mahal
• Giles Tillotson
• Mary Beard
ART & ARCHITECTURE •
2008 •
HARD COVER
• 190 PAGES
This pocket book in Harvard's Wonders of the World series is a guide and witty meditation on the place of the Taj Mahal in the cultural imagination of India and the wider world. An art historian, Tillotson demolishes myths about the structure ("the queen of architecture"), its history and meaning.
(IDA528, $19.95) |
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The Temple of Jerusalem
• Simon Goldhill
ART & ARCHITECTURE •
2011 •
PAPER
• 208 PAGES
Through biblical stories and ancient texts, rabbinical writings, archaeological records and modern accounts, Goldhill traces the Temple's shifting significance for Jews, Christians and Muslims in this illuminating pocket guide.
(ISR72, $14.95) |
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The Tomb of Agamemnon
• Cathy Gere
• Mary Beard
HISTORY •
2012 •
PAPER
• 208 PAGES
An enlightening brief guide to the archaeological site (a fortified hill in the Peloponnese), its history and current scholarship on the Bronze Age. Originally excavated by Heinrich Schliemann, the archaeology of the site has been much debated over the years. With a guide to the site at Mycenae. The remarkable gold artifacts from the site, including the famous mask of Agamemmnon, are among the treasures of the national archaeological museum.
(GRE252, $14.95) |
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Vesuvius
• Gillian Darley
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •
2012 •
HARD COVER
• 144 PAGES
Sifting through the ashes of Vesuvius, Darley exposes how changes in our relationship to the volcano mirror changes in our understanding of our cultural and natural environments.
(ITA275, $22.95) |
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Westminster Abbey
• Richard Jenkyns
• Mary Beard
ART & ARCHITECTURE •
2011 •
PAPER
• 224 PAGES
Westminster Abbey is both an appreciation of an architectural masterpiece and an exploration of the building's shifting meanings. We hear the voices of those who have described its forms, moods, and ceremonies, from Shakespeare and Voltaire to Dickens and Henry James; we see how rulers have made use of it, from medieval kings to modern prime ministers. In a highly original book, classicist and cultural historian Richard Jenkyns teaches us to look at this microcosm of history with new eyes.
(GBR810, $14.95) |
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