Product Description

Now in full-color, a witty and engaging look at Europe's history and art, from America's European travel guru. Rick Steves' Europe 101 helps you make the most of your sightseeing. A fun but informative guide, this "professor in your pocket" features:

* Chronologically organized chapters--from the pyramids to Picasso--that explain the forces behind Europe's most important cultural and artistic periods * Handy lists of sights that allow you to link your newly acquired knowledge with the specific paintings, sculptures, and buildings you'll see on your trip * A humorous, readable style that is a joy to read compared with the history textbooks you slept on in school * Timelines, maps, drawings, and photos that illustrate Europe's story and round out your education

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22407 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 525 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781566915168
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
This neat little book gives you enough practical knowledge of European art history to make your trip to the great museums and churches a lot more enjoyable. It connects yesterday's Europe with today's sights -- art, museums, buildings, and people. An essential tool for any traveler's backpack or suitcase.

Review
...humorous and historical perspective covering a mere 5,000 years of Western civilization. -- The Boston Globe

Customer Reviews

Engrossing!
As a first-time traveler to Italy, it was important to me to find information that to make this trip even more meaningful. I found it in this book. Wish I had this as my textbook for both European History and Humanities.

This book allowed me to fully comprehend, appreciate and wonder at the significance of the architectural, engineering, cultural and art contributions of Europe to the world. Even my sister who is a seasoned traveler to Europe found this book thoroughly educational as well as entertaining.

BRAVO! I will go to Europe again next year, and will take Rick's book on the best Europe has to offer.

Thank you.

Entertaining and a great way to prep for European Vacation
I was very impressed by this book. It was well organized as it wove basic history into a discussion of major works of art and major tourist sights. It was interesting to learn how art evolved over hundreds of years, and how it changed as Europe changed. I particularly appreciated how the book did not assume a great deal of familiarity with the subject matter, yet never talked down to the reader. Most college-educated readers will find it to be just right. I wish I had read this book before my very first trip to Europe. I expect my next trip will be much more meaningful now that I will be able to put everything in context.

Best one volume, comprehensive work for the average tourist
This book is not an in-depth history lesson, thank God. That would be boring. Instead, it's a very readable, lively short coverage of how Europe got to where it is today. If you're going to Europe to see a whirlwind of cities and museums, then reading this book will help you understand how and why something ended up in the museum or was built to look that way. I used to think art galleries in Europe were like visits to the dentist, necessary but painful. After reading 101, I have a much better understanding of the paintings and can trace the development and subject matter, making it fun and informative.

Also, the book has the best descriptive chart of history I have ever seen, laying out the different architecture periods (so you can see what came when) along with who lived when (Michaelangelo, Bach, Mozart, etc.) and other important historical events. This alone really helped me sort out the big jumbled mess of history.

If you're looking for in-depth, detailed coverage, this is not the book for you. If you're looking for that historical overview to help put everything in perspective without having to dig through volumes of dry material, then this is what you've been hoping for.

Good travels!