American Cities

American Cities: Historic Maps And Views

Description

A fascinating way to explore cities is through historic maps and views. It is while deciphering its creation and development that one uncovers the true spirit of a city. American Cities features nine of this country s greatest metropolises; cities that are thriving urban centers today with colorful histories rich in graphic representation: Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., New Orleans, St Louis, Chicago, Denver, and San Francisco. Rare or previously unpublished, the maps and views reproduced for each city turn the book into a unique journey of both form and content. An essay by a specialist accompanies each section. The result is a lavish work that pays tribute to the most important and artistic images of America.

Reviews

Rating: 3 / 5
Date: 2007-07-06
Summary: "5 Star Printing with 1 Star Text"

This is a beautiful book. The maps and illustrations are magnificently reproduced with the superb quality I have come to expect from Italian printers. Unfortunately, the book's usefulness is limited by the text, set in an almost unreadable typeface. Whoever designed this book obviously does not read much. It's a pity. The authors had a lot to say, but it takes a major effort to read it.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2007-01-09
Summary: "Very Interesting!"

As a fan of historic cartography, this is a "must have" book to own.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2006-03-22
Summary: "A Rich Visual History"

After enjoying this informative and graphically rich tome, I feel a better title for it might be "Nine American Cities: A Visual History."

The cities highlighted in this book are Boston, Chicago, Denver, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, St Louis, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. Containing historical maps and illustrations accompanied by essays explaining historic and narrative context, "American Cities" surprises and delights by revealing how these cities used to be and developed into the cities we know now. The enjoyment and relevance increases when the city under exploration happens to be one in which one lives. As I have lived in two of the nine cities and am familiar with another, I found this book especially engaging, although residence in one of the nine cities need not be a requirement to enjoy this beautifully formatted book. The two editors are dealers in antique maps and books, and their love of their work shows in "American Cities".