Metropolis

Sprawling aerial vistas, painstakingly rendered interiors and revealing cross-sections are among the diversions in this pictorial exploration of 10 cities, each spotlighted during an era of significant change. Lorenz and Schleh tour readers through such far-flung historical moments as the building of Notre Dame in 12th-century Paris, the sultan of Mozambique's dismissal of Vasco da Gama in the 15th century and the almost year-long siege of Osaka Castle in 17th-century Japan. Full-spread art details such focal points as an 18th-century Viennese concert house and the skyscape of 20th-century Manhattan; an illustrated chronology frames these pictures with references to contemporaneous achievements elsewhere. Art on single-page spreads, meanwhile, is faced with a key identifying illustrated objects and explaining their significance. The artists also touch on lighter subjects, among them the various styles of dress seen on the streets in Victorian London and the diverse culinary offerings in modern-day New York City. An eclectic look at past and present civilizations. Ages 10-up. BOMC, QPB, History Book Club and CBOMC selections. (Nov.)