Book Review: Man-Made Wonders of the World and Natural Wonders of the World by Smithsonian/Dorling Kindersley

Man-Made Wonders of the World and Natural Wonders of the World
by Smithsonian/Dorling-Kindersley (551.4 Dor and 720 Dor)

I saw these two books on the New Books Displays at the downtown library, within days of each other. Both are gorgeous “coffee table books”, filled with incredible photos. The Natural Wonders of the World volume includes chapters on North America, Central & South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia & New Zealand, Antarctica, The Oceans, and Extreme Weather. There are tons of maps, scientific sidebar boxes, blow-up 3D illustrations, nuggets of statistical information, and more.

 

The Man-Made Wonders of the World volume is slightly smaller, and includes chapters on North America, Central & South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia & Australia. In addition to hundreds of beautiful photos, there are blueprint-like illustrations of various building designs, and many sidebar articles about the history of the development of hundreds of recognizable man-made structures. The structures covered range from ancient (Chaco Canyon, Serpent Mounds, pyramids at Giza, Great Wall of China) to 21st-century contemporary.

 

The amount of information in both of these volumes is, at times, overwhelming. These are NOT books to sit and read cover-to-cover, but are rather books to revisit and read bits of when you’re in the mood to sit and marvel. Whether you are a fan of nature or architecture, you’ll definitely appreciate both of these publications from Smithsonian. Stunning images! My only complaint is that each entry gets only a page of information (and often far less) — sometimes that’s barely enough to whet your appetite! 

 

[ publisher’s official Man-Made Wonders of the World web site ] | [ publisher’s official Natural Wonders of the World web site ] [ Smithsonian Institution web site ]

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library – Public Service

 

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