Cities: Then & Now

by James Antoniou

History's most fascinating landmarks are brought to life in vivid see-through reconstructions in this richly illustrated series. Then & Now documents how places such as Rome, Prague, and San Francisco appeared in their initial changes and how they have changed throughout history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

144 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1994

Reviews

[Michael]

This was fairly light reading. An architect discusses 18 world cities "then and now" through the use of text and illustrations. Each city is discussed in anywhere from 6 to 8 pages, and the cities range from Athens and Rome to Sydney and New York. Because the book has a copyright of 1994 and the author is not a historian this is a little out of date (there is more current research on Athens, Rome, and Jerusalem and the plastic overlay for NYC includes the Twin Towers). Nevertheless, it was interesting and fun to compare Barcelona in 1570 and Barcelona in 1994, for instance.

Definitely not a scholarly work and it contains the author's personal opinions about the cities (Prague is "trying to come to terms with the needs of a modern democratic state" New York is "recognized as a symbol of the prosperity of the entire nation" and so on). However, I am glad I read this. It provided a needed break. 3.75 rounded to 4

[Arvena]

Įdomiai sukonstruota, galima vaizdžiai palyginti, kaip miestai atrodė seniau. Gal tik norėtųsi vaizdingesnio pasakojimo stiliaus - ne vien sausos statistikos ir datų. Ir per ausį reikėtų užmesti lietuviško leidimo vertėjams - mums, europiečiams, visi tie akrai, jardai, mylios ir pėdos nieko nesako - net jei originaliame tekste naudojami imperinės sistemos vienetai, tikrai buvo galima nepatingėti ir išversti juos (bent jau skliausteliuose ar išnašose) į SI sistemą.

[Andrea]

It is an inventive book, with 'then' and 'now' photos in an overlay fashion. Not a text book, by any means, but definitely thought-provoking for the average citizen pondering the impact of "progress" in the built environment.