Great Cities: The stories behind the world's most fascinating places (DK Great)

Explore the social and cultural history of 100 of the world’s most important cities. This illustrated history book provides a fascinating insight into the events, movements, and people throughout history who have shaped the cities where we live. Written in a “biography” format, it offers a rich historical overview of each featured city, brought to vivid life with beautiful imagery. Inside the pages of this visual guide, discover: • The story behind each city — how it was established, critical moments in its development and why it is considered historically significant. • The different types of cities, from the centers of ancient and lost civilizations and great river cities to planned cities and modern metropolises. • Beautiful illustrations with large-scale reproductions of paintings, photographs, maps and other artifacts. • Stunning images of city life and key moments in history are complemented by close-ups of revealing details and feature panels that provide additional context. From the ancient to the modern, get under the skin of what made cities like Persepolis, Paris, Vienna, Prague, Amsterdam, Tokyo and Dubai tick. This lavish book is about more than history — it explores the art, architecture, commerce and politics of the great civilizations throughout history. Great Cities provides a unique window into how cities have become markers of human progress. Explore which ancient civilization founded the precursor to Mexico City, why Venice was the gateway to the East, what the Belle Epoque was and which city was the first to build sewers. It’s the perfect gift for armchair explorers interested in history, geography and the arts. Stunningly illustrated biographies of the world's greatest cities, packed with paintings, photographs, maps, and artifactsDelve into the social and cultural history of over 75 of the world's most important cities.From the first towns in Mesopotamia to today's global metropolises, cities have marked the progress of civilization. Written in the form of illustrated'biographies,'Great Cities offers a rich historical overview of each featured city, brought to vivid life with maps, paintings, photographs, and artifacts.The latest title in the series style of Artists, Writers, Philosophers, and Composers, this lavish ebook goes under the skin of cities both ancient and modern--from Babylon and Tikal, Paris, and Palermo to Prague, Amsterdam, Tokyo, and São Paulo. Which ancient civilization founded the precursor to Mexico City? Why was Venice the gateway to the East? What was the Belle Epoque? Which was the first city to build sewers? Great Cities takes you there. Stunning images of city life and key moments in history are complemented by close-ups of revealing details and feature panels that provide additional context.An ebook not just about history but also about art, architecture, commerce, and politics, Great Cities provides a fascinating insight into what has shaped where we live. Perfect for history, geography, and cartography enthusiasts and a stunning gift for armchair explorers of all ages, it is your window into the world's most fascinating cities. "Delve into the social and cultural history of 100 of the world's most important cities. From the first towns in Mesopotamia to today's global metropolises, cities have marked the progress of civilization. Written in the form of illustrated "biographies", Great Cities offers a rich historical overview of each featured city, brought to vivid life with paintings, photographs, timelines, maps, and artefacts. The latest title in the series style of Artists, Writers, Philosophers, and Composers, this lavish ebook goes under the skin of cities both ancient and modern - from Persepolis and Tikal, Paris and Vienna to Prague, Amsterdam, Tokyo, and Dubai. Which ancient civilization founded the precursor to Mexico City? Why was Venice the gateway to the East? What was the Belle Epoque? Which was the first city to build sewers? Great Cities takes you there, and tells you all this and more. Stunning images of city life and key moments in history are complemented by close-ups of revealing details and feature panels that provide additional context. An ebook not just about history but also about art, architecture, commerce, and politics, Great Cities provides a fascinating insight into what has shaped the places where we live. Perfect for history, geography, and arts enthusiasts and a stunning gift for armchair explorers of all ages, it is your window into the world's most fascinating cities"--Publisher's description Delve into the social and cultural history of 100 of the world's most important cities. From the first towns in Mesopotamia to today's global metropolises, cities have marked the progress of civilization. Written in the form of illustrated "biographies", Great Cities offers a rich historical overview of each featured city, brought to vivid life with paintings, photographs, timelines, maps, and artifacts. Covers cities both ancient and modern - from Persepolis and Tikal, Paris and Vienna to Prague, Amsterdam, Tokyo, and Dubai. Which ancient civilization founded the precursor to Mexico City? Why was Venice the gateway to the East? What was the Belle Epoque? Which was the first city to build sewers? Images of city life and key moments in history are complemented by close-ups of revealing details and feature panels that provide additional context. A book about history, but also about art, architecture, commerce, and politics, provides insight into what has shaped the places where we live CONTENTS Introduction CHAPTER 1 CENTRES OF ANCIENT AND LOST CIVILIZATIONS Rome Athens Istanbul Jerusalem Persepolis Delhi Hampi Xi’an Mexico City Tikal Cusco More Great Cities CHAPTER 2 GREAT RIVER CITIES London Paris Florence Prague Vienna Berlin Moscow Cairo Varanasi Bangkok Québec City New Orleans More Great Cities CHAPTER 3 MARITIME CITIES Dublin Amsterdam Stockholm Lisbon Barcelona Venice Cape Town Shanghai Sydney San Francisco New York City Havana Buenos Aires More Great Cities CHAPTER 4 CITIES BY DESIGN St Petersburg Isfahan Singapore Kyoto Washington, DC Brasília More Great Cities CHAPTER 5 MODERN METROPOLISES Dubai Beijing Hong Kong Seoul Tokyo Los Angeles More Great Cities Index Acknowledgments **Explore the social and cultural history of 100 of the world’s most important cities.**__Great Cities__