Then and Now: The Wonders of the Ancient World Brought to Life in Vivid See-Through Reconstructions

by Stefania Perring, Dominic Perring

This unprecedented book restores twenty of the world's great ancient sites to their original glory. Then & Now presents modern photographs of the most visited ancient sites throughout the world as they appear today and superimposes acetate overlays that offer vivid artist's reconstructions of the same scenes in their period of greatness. 24 photographs; 24 acetates; 7 schematics; full-color throughout.

Genres: History, Architecture, Nonfiction, Reference, Historical, Ancient History, Childrens

144 pages, Spiral-bound

First published October 1, 1991

Reviews

[Sara Yuen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this book was really interesting because it showed the readers how popular tourist attractions changed over history. It shows the before and after of the location and what has been taken away or destroyed and what has taken over its place. This book really interest me basis even though after a long period of time, some of the small details still stayed in the location and it stands out even more. I learned that important locations can be important to history. Also that a small detail can tell a story.

[Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this twice. I'm pretty sure the first time was more of a scan. The images are great, and the overlays are fascinating to flip back-and-forth, and they remind me of how much I liked encyclopedias as a child.

This time I read every word. The text is not deep, but it does a pretty good job of hitting both current understanding of each site and a few of the uncertainties. I like that they pick an interesting array of sites, including the obvious Egypt, Greece, and Rome, but also Ankor Was, Zimbabwe, the Indus valley.

Mainly, though, this is a tribute to the pleasure we all get from looking at ruins and imagining what they might have looked like when they were used. A pleasure that I've never seen celebrated so well.

[Jon J. Sanserino · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book - Especially if you are visiting Pompeii. We got 500% more out of our visit by standing in the place of each photo, and then flipping the well done, see-through overleaf and seeing what it looked like in its heyday. We could imagine being there so many years ago. You SHOULD NOT visit Pompeii without this book in your hand!!

[LuAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction for kids and adults to famous ancient building complexes. The text and illustrations give the background and significance but the stars of the book are the overlays showing what parts of them are thought to have looked like and what they look like now.

[The_J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early transformation with transparent overlays - tremendously effecgtive at bringing the present to the past all before CGI
12/25 The Past through the imagined veneer of lost time.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less juvenile than I expected. The information provided on each ruin actually gave less context than I needed to get the full picture and tended to veer into overly-specialized information, but the photographs were neat and the overlay effect looks great.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun & educational graphic look at famous ruins. Easy to understand and good historical information.

[Destiny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an ideal gift for my brother who enjoys and basks in Egyptian History. It gives young children the opportunity to see what the ruins would have looked like in their prime.