Cities Then and Now

Visitors to cities throughout the world at times witness a bit of first-view traveler's remorse: dream locations rich in history and exotic aura are concealed from the naked eye by the over building of contemporary times. Author Jay Antoniou has capitalized on those potential disappointments in constructing this fine book that peels away the facades of now to rerun the cities to their original states of beauty. By no means meant to cover every aspect of the cities represented in this artistic book, Antoniou selects special aspect of each of the eighteen cities he exhumes. Using a series of well-reconstructed transparent plastic overlays he first gives a history of the site, then proceeds to reconstruct the chosen area to allow us to view the original vista. In Athens he chooses the Agora of 435, In Rome the Imperial city circa 27 BC, in Istanbul the 6th century AD Hagia Sofia, in Jerusalem the Old City and Temple Mount of 1150, in Florence the city center with cathedral of 1425, In Barcelona the harbor and Old Ton of 1570, in Amsterdam the Old Town and harbor of 1630, In Mexico City the Zocalo and palace of 1700, in Paris the Champs-Elysees and the Louvre of 1740, in London the city circa 1750, in Washington DC the Capitol and Pennsylvania Avenue of 1860, in Sydney the Cove and city circa 1888, in Moscow the Moskva River in 1890, in Tokyo the layout of Nihombashi Street in 1909, in San Francisco the Market street and business district of 1916, in Hong Kong the waterfront in the 1920s, and in New York both Wall Street and Battery Park of 1930. Almost anywhere you choose to visit is included and with the visuals comes much information and terminology that serves to greatly enhance the various cities explored. This fine book is sturdy enough to accompany you on your travels and is guaranteed to enhance your expectations of the wonders of the world's special places. Grady Harp, June 05

I must have been deprived as a child because any form of "pop-up" (I am using that term generically) adult book really interests me.This book travels through the past and almost-present in 18 international cities. In chronological order, we visit Athens, Rome, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Florence, Barcelona, Prague, Amsterdam, Mexico City, Paris, London, Washington D.C., Sydney, Moscow, Tokyo, San Francisco, Hong Kong and New York. The author first gives a short description and history of each city, just before the overlay which depicts the past and shows architectural sites that no longer exist. The next page is the city as it is today. I found myself constantly flipping back and forth as I read the accompanying pages of text.Each city's description is unique as the author gives us little tidbits about each in addition to the full background of development and changes. For example, unique to Prague are the sections about The Royal Way and the Prague Defenestrations (throwing people out of windows when they made the citizens angry). Unique to Sydney is the article about the city's first architect. The history of the "squares" in London is explained and in the section about Paris, the significance of Versailles is explained (it had a huge influence on city design and planning all over the world).A totally enjoyable and beautiful book.

I got this book as a birthday present. As a total architecture nerd, I got SO into reading about the early metropolitan areas and how they've changed. A MUST-READ for any avid city-dweller, or a fellow architecture nerd. Definitely not a serious text on architecture or urbanism, but educational all the same.

This book is marvelous.Eighteen cities are depicted: Athens, Rome, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Florence, Barcelona, Prague, Amsterdam, Mexico City, Paris, London, Washington D.C., Sydney, Moscow, Tokyo, San Francisco, Hong Kong and New York. To each is devoted seven to nine pages of material which include a short history of the city, a description of major architectural features of the place, a half- to three quarter-page photograph of the present-day location and a high-quality overlay with depictions of structures now long gone. The introduction discusses the evolution of the city and various influences which affected its development in different areas of the world.The content of the text and the presentation make the history of these places dynamic and interesting; if you are interested in cities and/or history, this would be a wonderful addition to your collection.

The idea behind this book is delightful: acetate overlays peel back to reveal the same view of the particular city several centuries (or even millenia) later. Although the limp text isn't up to the standards of the pictures, it's still worth it. A great gift for travelers and history lovers.