Unable to download, therefore unable to write a review - sorry it looked really good. Would still like to read the book if it was possible. If you'd like to send a kindle book that would be useful as the app wouldn't work either.

The pictures within this book are outstanding. Each city has a map with the names of main buildings, and details of that building. The next page gives history of the city and details of the city in numbers which is quite fun.
As a Mediterranean lover the details about Venice, Granada, Athens and Rome are just the icing on the cake. I know have too many places I want to visit though!

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.