Israel; Splendour of the Holy Land

Bnei-Brak, Israel: Steimatzky, 1995. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. Luca Rossi (Color drawings), and Monica Falcone (B. Format is approximately 10.5 inches by 14.5 inches. 291, [1] pages. Illustrated endpapers. Illustrations (many in color). Maps. Index. Select Bibliography. This book was published in celebration of Steimatzky's anniversary--70 years of culture. Kochav is an Israeli with a background in both anthropology and sociology, with the fascinating specialty of history of the Anglican church in 19th-century Palestine. The key to this book is the images: sweeping aerial views, finely detailed museum artifacts, antique maps, 19th-century lithographs, plans of ancient buildings, and photographs of contemporary Israeli life. From Library Journal: The subtitle says it all, for this book is indeed splendid. It is also a sumptuous, well-documented, and generally gorgeous quarto-sized coffee-table book of distinction. Kochav is an Israeli with a background in both anthropology and sociology, with the fascinating specialty of history of the Anglican church in 19th-century Palestine. The key to this book is the images: sweeping aerial views, finely detailed museum artifacts, antique maps, 19th-century lithographs, plans of ancient buildings, and photographs of contemporary Israeli life. All are of such outstanding quality that they draw the reader effortlessly into the text. One of the most beautiful is a double-page spread taken at the Wailing Wall. The blurred movements of the worshippers in white prayer shawls evoke the ghosts that must haunt so ancient a location. Kochav is thoroughly successful in displaying an Israel of great beauty and mystery. Recommended. Mary Morgan Smith, Northland P.L., Pittsburgh, Pa. The history of Israel is as ancient as the history of humanity. From the desert sands to the shadowy depths of the caves overlooking the Dead Sea to the buried cities whose splendor has been dimmed by the centuries, it is truly a cradle of civilization and a setting of incomparable beauty. is spectacular book journeys along the valley of the River Jordan and among the hills of Galilee, from the shores of the Mediterranean to the sands of the Negev. Some of the finest photographs ever taken of Israel are brought together for the first time: stunning aerial views of the land; treasures from Israel's museums and archaeological sites; portraits and scenes of everyday life; the walls, gates, and buildings of the Old City of Jerusalem. An informative and wide-ranging text comments on the images and provides a wealth of historical detail on a land that has endured for millennia.