Fallen Glory : The Lives and Deaths of History's Greatest Buildings

**AN INVITING, FASCINATING COMPENDIUM OF TWENTY-ONE OF HISTORY S MOST FAMOUS LOST PLACES, FROM THE TOWER OF BABEL TO THE TWIN TOWERS** --- Buildings are more like us than we realize. They can be born into wealth or poverty, enjoying every privilege or struggling to make ends meet. They have parents gods, kings and emperors, governments, visionaries and madmen as well as friends and enemies. They have duties and responsibilities. They can endure crises of faith and purpose. They can succeed or fail. They can live. And, sooner or later, they die. In __Fallen Glory__, James Crawford uncovers the biographies of some of the world s most fascinating lost and ruined buildings, from the dawn of civilization to the cyber era. The lives of these iconic structures are packed with drama and intrigue. Soap operas on the grandest scale, they feature war and religion, politics and art, love and betrayal, catastrophe and hope. Frequently their afterlives have been no less dramatic their memories used and abused down the millennia for purposes both sacred and profane. They provide the stage for a startling array of characters, including Gilgamesh, the Cretan Minotaur, Agamemnon, Nefertiti, Genghis Khan, Henry VIII, Catherine the Great, Adolf Hitler, and even Bruce Springsteen. The twenty-one structures Crawford focuses on include The Tower of Babel, The Temple of Jerusalem, The Library of Alexandria, The Bastille, Kowloon Walled City, the Berlin Wall, and the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Ranging from the deserts of Iraq, the banks of the Nile and the cloud forests of Peru, to the great cities of Jerusalem, Istanbul, Paris, Rome, London and New York, __Fallen Glory__ is a unique guide to a world of vanished architecture. And, by picking through the fragments of our past, it asks what history s scattered ruins can tell us about our own future.

An inviting, fascinating compendium of twenty-one of history's most famous lost places, from the Tower of Babel to the Twin Towers

Buildings are more like us than we realize. They can be born into wealth or poverty, enjoying every privilege or struggling to make ends meet. They have parents—gods, kings and emperors, governments, visionaries and madmen—as well as friends and enemies. They have duties and responsibilities. They can endure crises of faith and purpose. They can succeed or fail. They can live. And, sooner or later, they die.

In Fallen Glory, James Crawford uncovers the biographies of some of the world’s most fascinating lost and ruined buildings, from the dawn of civilization to the cyber era. The lives of these iconic structures are packed with drama and intrigue. Soap operas on the grandest scale, they feature war and religion, politics and art, love and betrayal, catastrophe and hope. Frequently their afterlives have been no less dramatic—their memories used and abused down the millennia for purposes both sacred and profane. They provide the stage for a startling array of characters, including Gilgamesh, the Cretan Minotaur, Agamemnon, Nefertiti, Genghis Khan, Henry VIII, Catherine the Great, Adolf Hitler, and even Bruce Springsteen.

The twenty-one structures Crawford focuses on include The Tower of Babel, The Temple of Jerusalem, The Library of Alexandria, The Bastille, Kowloon Walled City, the Berlin Wall, and the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Ranging from the deserts of Iraq, the banks of the Nile and the cloud forests of Peru, to the great cities of Jerusalem, Istanbul, Paris, Rome, London and New York, Fallen Glory is a unique guide to a world of vanished architecture. And, by picking through the fragments of our past, it asks what history’s scattered ruins can tell us about our own future.

Uncovering The Biographies Of Some Of The Most Fascinating Lost And Ruined Buildings, An Engaging Compendium Of 21 Structures From Around The Globe, Including The Tower Of Babel, The Bastille, The Berlin Wall And The Twin Towers Of The World Trade Center, Is A Unique Guide To A World Of Vanished Architecture. Part One: Gods, Heroes And Monsters -- Make A Name For Yourself!: The Tower Of Babel, Iraq -- Modernism's Labyrinth: The Palace Of King Minos, Knossos, Greece -- The First War Memorial: The Citadel Of Mycenae, The Plain Of Argos, Greece -- The Sun City Also Rises: Akhetaten, Amarna, Egypt -- Jerusalem Syndrome: The Temple Of Jerusalem -- Part Two: On The Unhappiness Of Empires -- The Rise, Decline And Fall Of The Cow Pasture: The Forum, Rome -- The Library Of Babel: The Library Of Alexandria, Egypt -- Anarchy's Theatre: The Hippodrome Of Constantinople -- The Carpet Of The World: Madinat Al-zahra, Cordoba, Spain -- Part Three: The King Is Dead, Long Live The King -- London Was, But Is No More: Old St Paul's Cathedral, London -- Journey To The Tent At The Centre Of The World: Karakorum, Orkhon Valley, Mongolia -- The House Of Diamonds: The Fortress Of Golconda, Hyderabad, India -- Liberté For Sale: The Bastille, Paris -- Virtual City: Vilcabamba, Espiritu Pampa, Peru -- Part Four: You Say Utopia, I Say Dystopia -- Little Brother's Big Brother House: The St Petersburg Panopticon, Okhta, Russia -- No-man's City: Kowloon Walled City, Kowloon, Hong Kong -- The Day The Architecture Died: Pruitt-igoe, St Louis, Missouri -- The Mirrorwall: The Berlin Wall, Berlin, East And West Germany -- No Day Shall Erase You From The Memory Of Time: The Twin Towers Of The World Trade Centre, New York City -- The Deleted City: Geocities, The World Wide Web -- Epilogue. Let The Past Meet The Future: Palmyra, Tadmor, Syria. James Crawford. Includes Bibliographical References. AN INVITING, FASCINATING COMPENDIUM OF TWENTY-ONE OF HISTORY S MOST FAMOUS LOST PLACES, FROM THE TOWER OF BABEL TO THE TWIN TOWERS Buildings are more like us than we realize. They can be born into wealth or poverty, enjoying every privilege or struggling to make ends meet. They have parents gods, kings and emperors, governments, visionaries and madmen as well as friends and enemies. They have duties and responsibilities. They can endure crises of faith and purpose. They can succeed or fail. They can live. And, sooner or later, they die. In Fallen Glory , James Crawford uncovers the biographies of some of the world s most fascinating lost and ruined buildings, from the dawn of civilization to the cyber era. The lives of these iconic structures are packed with drama and intrigue. Soap operas on the grandest scale, they feature war and religion, politics and art, love and betrayal, catastrophe and hope. Frequently their afterlives have been no less dramatic their memories used and abused down the millennia for purposes both sacred and profane. They provide the stage for a startling array of characters, including Gilgamesh, the Cretan Minotaur, Agamemnon, Nefertiti, Genghis Khan, Henry VIII, Catherine the Great, Adolf Hitler, and even Bruce Springsteen. The twenty-one structures Crawford focuses on include The Tower of Babel, The Temple of Jerusalem, The Library of Alexandria, The Bastille, Kowloon Walled City, the Berlin Wall, and the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Ranging from the deserts of Iraq, the banks of the Nile and the cloud forests of Peru, to the great cities of Jerusalem, Istanbul, Paris, Rome, London and New York, Fallen Glory is a unique guide to a world of vanished architecture. And, by picking through the fragments of our past, it asks what history s scattered ruins can tell us about our own future. " Uncovering the biographies of some of the most fascinating lost and ruined buildings, an engaging compendium of 21 structures from around the globe, including The Tower of Babel, The Bastille, the Berlin Wall and the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, 'Fallen Glory' is a unique guide to a world of vanished architecture