Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Let me preface this review with the fact that I have been waiting FOUR YEARS for this book to be published (my initial order with amazon was dated May 19, 2006!) I love obelisks and I love Rome - how could I not want a book subtitled "Egyptian Obelisks and Rome"? Over the years I received numerous publication date updates from amazon until they finally cancelled my order. I emailed the publisher several times to get potential publications dates. I placed an order with Borders in July, 2008 and had them eventually cancel it. I even tracked down and emailed the author! (She never responded - maybe I got the address wrong.) I was thrilled when it showed back up on amazon as a hardcover - and even more so when the paperback edition listing appeared.
And now that I have it in hand?
My initial reaction is that I'm awfully disappointed ...
On my first thumb-flip through the pages, all I saw was dense text! A thorough paging through revealed that there were indeed SOME photos - a mere dozen. However, they're small, black & white, and poorly framed - not doing justice to the subject matter at all. Two obelisks get 3 photos each; another four get only a single photo; whereas the many others, including those in Paris, London and New York - which merit their own chapters - get NONE at all! I've taken much better photos of almost all of the obelisks mentioned. I expected more from a modern book.
I was hoping, given the specific mention of Rome, home to 13 obelisks, that there might be a city map showing their locations. No such luck. And while there are details about each obelisk, they are buried in the text - there is no table or appendix gathering pertinent information such as age, height, etc. Quite frankly, the Wikipedia entry "Obelisks_in_Rome" has better organized data - and wonderful color photos as well.
The chapter on obelisks in Britain discusses "Cleopatra's Needle" in London. However, the chapter on the New York obelisk fails to mention that it too is known by that same misnomer.
This does appear to be a scholarly work, with significant historical information. But I was really hoping for more photos - specifically more detailed photos. I already own several other books on obelisks and it's not yet clear to me that this one was a worthwhile addition to my library. I'm very glad that I didn't pay the hardcover price.
I'd recommend "Obelisk: A History" by Brian Curran, et al. instead.
Click Here to see more reviews about: The Emperors' Needles: Egyptian Obelisks and Rome
Get 19% OFF
Click here for more information about The Emperors' Needles: Egyptian Obelisks and Rome
0 comments:
Post a Comment