HAVE you ever noticed how much of our world and lives are concerned with top hits and successes in every field? We tune in to the Top 40 for music while getting our fix for movies every week by checking out the Top 10 blockbuster list. For books, we have the world famous New York Times best-seller list as well its local variations in bookstores.
In 2003, Patricia Schultz’s 1,000 Places You Must See Before You Die became such a hit that the ubiquitous 501 Must See ... series of books soon followed. But this prolific series pale in comparison with its sister series from Cassell Illustrated: 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 1001 Natural Wonders, 1001 Building and even 1001 Gardens.
1001 Historic Sites is the latest book from Cassell, and is very well-produced, in fact even topping its source of inspiration. Browse through it and you will never be satisfied again with the boring black and white photos of Schultz’s book. Also, the focused interest of 1001 Historic Sites and its companions ensures that each book has a depth that is missing from that of Schultz’s.
This particular book has a resonance for me. History is the story of humankind, and as such, it has a lot to tell us of human nature. The fascination is universal and to paraphrase author Jane Austen, it is a given fact that any place with the remotest sense of history is in need of tourists.
Check out major travel agencies and you will likely find great demand for packages to historical sites. It is an allure that should drive many people to have an interest in this book.
To reflect on the universality of this interest, the book is divided into five parts, each on one main continent of the earth (The Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania). This offers an interesting way to look at how differently cultures throughout the world have evolved.
In each section you will find great variety in the historical sites featured. Some are ancient forgotten cities such as Copan (in Honduras), while others are momentous engineering projects in 20th century history like the Hoover Dam in the United States.
Great places of pilgrimage are included, along with great battlefields (Gettysburg in the United States and Waterloo in Belgium), palaces and the homes of many great people. With 1,001 sites to choose from, this book will likely include most of the historical sites you have heard of.
If there is any criticism, I feel that the book is taken up inordinately with Europe because of a focus on Western history. Still, the section on Asia is quite comprehensive, with entries for China, India, Japan and many Middle Eastern and South-East Asian countries.
In total, there are 399 Unesco World Heritage sites listed in this book, including the “seven wonders of the New World”: Mexico’s Chichen Itza; Rome’s Colosseum; Jordon’s ancient lost city of Petra; China’s Great Wall; Peru’s ancient Inca site in Macchu Picchu; India’s Taj Mahal; and Brazil’s statue of Christ the Redeemer.
This book features a huge number of colour photographs, 800 in total. Many are beautiful to look at and some, very poignant. I found the photograph of ancient Pompeii to be particularly haunting.
If you have a deep love for history - or even just a passing for it - you will treasure this book.
In 2003, Patricia Schultz’s 1,000 Places You Must See Before You Die became such a hit that the ubiquitous 501 Must See ... series of books soon followed. But this prolific series pale in comparison with its sister series from Cassell Illustrated: 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 1001 Natural Wonders, 1001 Building and even 1001 Gardens.
1001 Historic Sites is the latest book from Cassell, and is very well-produced, in fact even topping its source of inspiration. Browse through it and you will never be satisfied again with the boring black and white photos of Schultz’s book. Also, the focused interest of 1001 Historic Sites and its companions ensures that each book has a depth that is missing from that of Schultz’s.
This particular book has a resonance for me. History is the story of humankind, and as such, it has a lot to tell us of human nature. The fascination is universal and to paraphrase author Jane Austen, it is a given fact that any place with the remotest sense of history is in need of tourists.
Check out major travel agencies and you will likely find great demand for packages to historical sites. It is an allure that should drive many people to have an interest in this book.
To reflect on the universality of this interest, the book is divided into five parts, each on one main continent of the earth (The Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania). This offers an interesting way to look at how differently cultures throughout the world have evolved.
In each section you will find great variety in the historical sites featured. Some are ancient forgotten cities such as Copan (in Honduras), while others are momentous engineering projects in 20th century history like the Hoover Dam in the United States.
Great places of pilgrimage are included, along with great battlefields (Gettysburg in the United States and Waterloo in Belgium), palaces and the homes of many great people. With 1,001 sites to choose from, this book will likely include most of the historical sites you have heard of.
If there is any criticism, I feel that the book is taken up inordinately with Europe because of a focus on Western history. Still, the section on Asia is quite comprehensive, with entries for China, India, Japan and many Middle Eastern and South-East Asian countries.
In total, there are 399 Unesco World Heritage sites listed in this book, including the “seven wonders of the New World”: Mexico’s Chichen Itza; Rome’s Colosseum; Jordon’s ancient lost city of Petra; China’s Great Wall; Peru’s ancient Inca site in Macchu Picchu; India’s Taj Mahal; and Brazil’s statue of Christ the Redeemer.
This book features a huge number of colour photographs, 800 in total. Many are beautiful to look at and some, very poignant. I found the photograph of ancient Pompeii to be particularly haunting.
If you have a deep love for history - or even just a passing for it - you will treasure this book.
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