The X-Ray Picture Book of Big Buildings of the Ancient World

What a shame that this book is no longer in print. Cut-aways are, simply put, a marvelous way to study architectural design. Allow a child to sit uninterrupted with this book and he will learn quite a bit about techniques, optical tricks, building design, sculpture, friezes, and so on. Ten buildings are the subjects of this illustrated book: the Great Pyramid in Egypt, Abu Simbel in Egypt, the Parthenon in Athens, the Colosseum in Rome, Notre Dame in Paris, Bodiam Castle in southeast England, Mont Mt. Michel off the northwestern coast of France, the Basilica of St. Peter in Vatican City in Rome, the Taj Mahal in India, and the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. Each structure is laid out in two two-page spreads with a general history and overview in the first spread, then particular details in the next spread. For example, in the first, the many buildings that made up the Parthenon are shown and identified, and structure is described. In the second, the optical illusion of straight columns is detailed, sculptures are explained, and figures identified. A brief history of the destruction is illustrated. The same setup follows for each of the remaining nine. No matter the beauty, no matter the preference for style, the one that stands out above the rest for architectural and engineering brilliance, attention to details is the Colosseum. Built in the first century A.D., the Colosseum was the largest Roman amphitheater built exclusively for gladiator events. It was built of concrete and supported by a system of arches and vaults. Below ground was a series of passageways that led to hundreds of rooms that housed gladiators and animals. In fact, several species of animals were hunted and eventually eliminated for the sport of arena fighting. The open section of the Colosseum could be shaded by a huge awning, and the arena could be flooded for mock battles. A case could be built for each structure as the most incredible. Children could spend hours pouring over the illustrations for these ten building and come back to find new details. Cultural and historical backgrounds are provided, as well as a geographical location by use of a globe and identified country. The X-Ray Book is written at probably the fourth grade level. Heartily recommended.