Wonders of the World

0/5 ( ratings)

What is wonder? Sir Francis Bacon, that great thinker of the Renaissance, called wonder 'the seed of knowledge'. It is when man looks at the world around him in awe that he first begins to ask why and how, a curiosity that drives not only art and philosophy, but science and progress. Looking at the remains of Greek or Roman ruins, we can exclaim with Sophocles, 'There are many awesome things, but none more awesome than man.'

Humans have a fascination with making lists. To pick and order a number of 'wonders' not only gives a miniature history of that age, but also reveals how we evaluate and judge it. Of the seven wonders revered from antiquity, only one survives, yet even their memory still wields an impressive power. What would be the wonders we would select to form our own list? Galvanized by the question we chose four broad periods of history – Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, Modern – and asked four experts to choose seven wonders in each. The only stipulation was that they must be created by man and still in existence.

For each of our list makers, thinking about what makes a wonder and the process of selection has been a powerful and revealing one. The photograph taken by astronauts of the Earth from space was one of Jonathan Glancey's choices and it demonstrates perfectly how a sense of wonder can affect and inspire us.

The best way to reveal the wonders of the world is visually, and this book is lavishly illustrated with over 150 colour pictures and numerous half-tones. From the sweep of the Great Wall of China to the minute detail of the DNA spiral, the stunning photographs, engravings, prints, plans and paintings make this a glorious book to look through.

No matter how eminent the list maker, every choice has a personal element. Theodore K. Rabb comments that his choices , are 'the seven places, above all others, that this particular historian wants his readers to see and experience, in wonder, for themselves'. What is excluded is almost as interesting as what is included. There are surprises and challenges – an opportunity to think how your own list would differ.