Wonders of the World: 100 Great Man-Made Treasures of Civilization

by Robert Burton, Richard Cavendish

What city claims to be the world's oldest? What is the largest construction ever built by human hands? The answers to these and many other questions are here, revealed in fascinating detail and shown in remarkable photographs of the world's most spectacular sights. There are enigmatic megaliths such as Stonehenge and the Easter Island statues that have not yet yielded their age-old secrets. Exquisite edifices, such as St. Peter's in Rome, rub shoulders with the surreal structure of Gaudi's Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. The stark outline of the Great Pyramid at Giza contrasts with the extravagant opulence of Hearst's castle at San Simeon. Feats of engineering are represented with the Trans-Siberian Railway and Japan's Seto Ohashi Suspension Bridge. Each entry includes location details, a description of the site, a panel of additional information, and large color pictures. For easy reference, everything is broken up by continent with its own location map and introductory feature, and arranged chronologically.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Coffee Table Books, History, Art, Reference

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

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Reviews

[Sue]

This is a beautiful book I have had for some time. Previously I have just looked at the pictures. Now I am reading the entire book from cover to cover.

[Nadia | Mon Vàng Vàng · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cuốn sách cung cấp khá nhiều thông tin lí thú về các kì quan thế giới. Bên cạnh những kì quan vô cùng nổi tiếng như đền thờ Partheon, tháp nghiêng Pise, cung điện Alhambre ở Tây Ban Nha,... thì cuốn sách cũng giới thiệu thêm nhiều kì quan khác.
Điểm cộng to lớn là hình ảnh được chèn vào rất nhiều nhưng nhiều chỗ mình thấy nên chèn nhiều hình hơn hoặc thay đổi bằng một hình khác (dù khá khó vì dù sao khi mua bản quyền xuất bản sách thì chắc cũng bao gồm ảnh dẫn chứng trong sách gốc). Điểm trừ siêu to là dịch tên các địa danh ra tiếng việt, thường thì mình không bất mãn với chuyện dịch gì đâu chỉ là đối với tên người với địa danh thì cứ giữ nguyên sẽ tốt hơn. Điểm trừ tiếp theo là lỗi chính tả, cũng còn sót cỡ vừa vừa.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned more about several wonders I've heard of and some I have visited. Found many more that I would like to visit one day.

[Umar Hashmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

exotic locations [normie]

[Tammy Bowman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm in a purge mode and have decided to read and release some of the books that I've been holding on to for years, including this coffee table book I've had a really long time.

It was packed with great photos, obviously, but also had loads of detail and trivia about the selected locations. My favorite was learning about the Nile crocodile. Look it up!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book really good. I’ve had it for ages and decided to work through it over a few weeks.

The pictures of all the places were beautiful and the stats and facts about everything were really interesting.

I especially liked the bits on Ankor Wat, Chichen Itza, Maachu Pichu, the Victoria Falls, Angel Falls, the Sagradia Famillia and the Duomo.

[Anastassiya · Rating 1 out of 5]

the most cliched book I came across. Some CN tower and Hoover Dam are included as wonders?! Whilst the HUGE part of Eurasia apparently has no wonders to see, is it covered with ice or a complete wasteland??!!

Biased, narrow-minded book. the whole Middle East region, Russia, Georgia, Blatic coutries, Azerbajan, All the "stan" countries are simply all empty???

Hey ignorant amateur author, check out:
the World Heritage Organisation http://whc.unesco.org/en/list
Hoover Dam and CN tower aren't listed there!!

But here is what is listed in "emptyland":
Samarkand,
Bukhara,
Burabay National Nature park (breathtaking!!),
Baikal lake - the largest (by volume) and deepest freshwater lake in the world containing 70% of freshwater species

etc.

Lame book.

[Laura Galarza · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVED IT! Book is broken down into the 7 continental divides of the world aka Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, Central and South America, Australia and Oceania and Antarctica =) don’t feel bad I just learned them myself ((wink)). All jokes aside this book is an amazing “travel” with over 200 pages of vividly stunning images of locations around the world. One of my favorite locations to visit in this book is on page 32. Neuschwanstein, Germany is breath taking with its enchanted castle, proudly guarding the slumbering trees in the Bavarian Alps

[Rakisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breathtaking photos from the seven continents with fun facts. Great as an educational tool or just to admire the wonders of the world. Includes photos and information on the Great Wall of China, the Statue of Liberty, the Taj Mahal, The East African Rift Valley, The Nazca Lines, The Inca Trails, and many more. Great coffee table book and conversation piece.

[Kristin B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't say I read this book cover to cover... but I read a decent bit of it after picking it up at a friend's house and loved it! I'd love to own this book - it is an awesome coffee table book, but also very interesting to read all the way through. Lots of beautiful photos as well.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book for Christmas because my roommate knows how much I love history. I loved learning about all of these places, many of them I'd never heard of or knew much about. I would recommend this book to everyone.

[Crazy Uncle Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is a really good book with some really spectacular pictures. I thought listing the Las Vegas Strip as a wonder of the world was stretching it a bit but otherwise I really liked it.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very pretty book that makes me want to travel (even more than I already do)...