British Museum: A History of the World in 25 Cities

When I was a child, I loved this kind of book, colourful encyclopaedias that fuelled the imagination. I had a book press full of them thanks to a grandmother who believed in childhood reading being food for the mind. She was right about that because I grew up to become a writer and teacher. And it was books like this that set me on that journey. Speaking of journeys, this book is one that travels far in just over a century of pages that takes the reader through many more centuries of knowledge, discovery and visual imagery. Personally, it brought me back to a time of discovery, imagination and curiosity, the joy of learning information about places old and new, sensing what it was like to be there, almost walking amongst those who peopled that period in time. A good book not only fuels the imagination but embeds memories too that resurface when exposed to the stimulus of other good books. Even the very idea of a book like this brought me back to those childhood encyclopaedias. And I imagine that 20, 30, 40 years from now this book will do the same for others. That's why I've bought a few copies of this book for some of my closest friends' children. I want them to feel that same passion for reading as I once felt and remember me as the person who guided them towards a life of reading, or even just the joy of getting a book at Christmas and spending hours looking through the pages, fascinated by words and images. I made a good choice with this book and hope others do the same. Maybe as a teacher and writer myself I'm biased but the greatest gift you can give to a child is the gift of reading. Though ... myself included (hint, hint to any interested parties) there are a few big kids out there, grown up boys and girls, who might em like a copy of this book in their stockings too because it's great for kids of all ages - even those of us who might soon be old enough (in smaller kids' eyes) to occupy a space in The British Museum itself. A great Xmas gift but one that isn't just for the time of year when I'm writing this review. It's a great gift for any time to remember and any time to get kids reading more.

I was looking for the perfect birthday gift for my son. Yes - he got the latest Playstation game he wanted - but we wanted to give him a book that he could get lost in and deliver a sense of wonder. "A History of the World in 25 Cities" achieves just that. There's a tendency for all of us to only look at the life of a city as it is today. As if it all came together at once. What they really are are layers and layers of storytelling. As the book says this a story of human history. Authors Tracey Turner and Andrew Donkin capture all of that in this entertaining and enjoyably informative book. It's a compelling compendium of names, dates, places and events just as important to the building of a city as every brick that's been used. There's a sense of time travel as a specific period in the life of a city is explored giving the reader a sense of what life would have been like in the defining moments in the city's development. Beautifully illustrated by Libby VanderPloeg, my son and I have both devoured it and it's a book we'll go back to. Well done to the British Museum and Nosy Crow for publishing this book

Inspiring & enjoyable view of history. So popular with children I have given it to that I have bought several & their parents are fascinated too. 9, 10 & 11 year olds have loved it

The media could not be loaded. Nice and educational! I love learning about the different places in the world and it adds more to my knowledge! Nice one!

This large-format educational volume stretches the term 'map' somewhat, but does achieve what it sets out to do. All the twenty-five cities featured get two double-page spreads, the first with what is more or less a representational image, as opposed to a properly laid-out map, and the second to cover more details about life in those places, and some statistics. In chronological order, we move from Jericho (some walls, with some nondescript buildings inside), to Memphis (a couple of temple districts and some workers), Athens (the Parthenon and a few other bits), and so on. By Athens and Rome the maps are very heavily annotated with captions all over the place, conveying in well-judged manner the specifics of the place – the contents of one building, for example – or a type of building in general – the nightmares of a Roman communal loo, perhaps.The second spread always tries to cover childhood life in these cities, to connect with the target reader, and give some geographical data, as well as trivia where needed, such as the tonnage of marble used for the Parthenon. These pages are as you'd expect suitably illustrated, and the text never feels burdensome to the young geographer – or historian, for of course both humanities are served here. I think the perfect version of this book would have had more variety in the artistic style – the ancient cities not looking too different in their presentation from the megacities of today, and I would have preferred more information about what the tourist or archaeologist would see of the place now. What, for instance, is evident about the circular structure of ancient Baghdad when you join the seven million people currently there? But just because I could see this project being done differently doesn't mean it has been done badly. Nods to sustainable development in the cities of tomorrow, a glossary and index, and we've have a rounded, diverse look round our urbanised planet.

Bought for a 7yr old who loves history and he loved it. Full of pictures and fun facts, good quality book

I bought this for my nephew who is 8 and his brother 7, both have dipped into the book and used it to learn about the cites included in it. The book is illustrated well and very informative.

I was looking for Xmas presents and ordered this as it looked like it could be good - and it's way better than that, it's brilliant! What a great book, Xmas or not. It's informative and fun and really draws you in. It also has a really expensive look and feel to it and it works just as well for kids or adults - amazing!