This reminds me of a simpler Dorling Kinderseley book in some ways. Fun facts, beautiful photography: it's a good coffee table choice. ( )

I’ve read several Lonely Planet books, and while their “travel guides” leave me flat, their “travelogues” (i.e. Bluelists) inspire enthusiasm and awe. This book is definitely of the latter type, beautifully produced with lively writing and stunning color photographs.

A world map shows all the locations at a glance. Then, each of the 50 “wonders” (20 natural, 30 man-made) gets individual treatment in an image-heavy section that opens with a “you are there” narrative, using the second-person point-of-view to immerse the reader in the experience of the place. There’s a deconstruction of the science and/or engineering of it, although, especially for the most ancient wonders, it’s often still a guess rather than knowing for sure. For the travel-minded, there are also details about how to get there, what else to do nearby, and similar sites elsewhere on the planet.

My favorite of the naturals: Giant’s Causeway, the honeycomb-like landscape of hexagonal basalt columns in Ireland. My favorites of the man-made: Palm Jumeirah (island) and the Burj Khalifa (skyscraper), both in Dubai. My biggest surprise: that an aerial photo of the Mt. Everest area looks like a cross-section of cauliflower or the brain.

The photos are wonderful to browse through and the information-rich text makes this a book to read cover-to-cover and keep.

(Review based on a copy of the book provided by the publisher.) ( )