“Readers cannot but acknowledge the nobility of the human spirit that gave rise to this handsome project and sustains it. For all libraries”. – Library Journal

This second volume of the three-volume UNESCO World Heritage series examines individual monumental structures considered emblematic as extraordinary examples of creativity, history and art. With respect to UNESCO’S official list of sites, published in the appendix of the book, forty-seven monuments were selected based on historical importance, monumental spectacularity and the stylistic variations employed by different cultures as they assembled forms and symbols tied to these sites used for the exercise of political power, social prestige, luxury, religious worship and collective memory. The informative text provides the history of each monument, its structural and stylistic stratifications, and its salient artistic and historical points.
The panorama includes the Taj Mahal of Agra, the Prohibited City of Beijing, the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, The Temple of Borobudur, The Alhambra in Granada, the Kremlin in Moscow, the Pueblo of Taos, to name a few.
The wealth and variety of illustrations featured offer a visual feast that takes us on a cultural journey around the world.

Valerio Terraroli, a professor at the University of Turin, is the author of numerous books including Skira’s Treasury of World Culture: Archeological Sites and Urban Centres and Dictionary of Modern Decorative Arts 1851-1952.