A History of the World in 25 Cities

A gorgeous, large-format gift hardcover featuring city maps from all over the world, from ancient history to the present day.

With a stunning neon cover and packed with countless facts for curious readers to return to again and again, this is a perfect gift for children who want to explore history from around the world.

Co-authored by award-winning children’s authors Tracey Turner and Andrew Donkin in consultation with specialist curators at the British Museum, readers can visit cities from every inhabited continent on Earth, from the walled city of Jericho built over 10,000 years ago, to the modern-day metropolis of Tokyo, the most-densely populated city in the world today.

Featuring vibrant, beautifully detailed artwork from Libby VanderPloeg, each carefully researched map takes readers on a city tour at a unique moment in time—from exploring Athens in ancient Greece during the birth of democracy, to walking the beautiful lamplit streets of medieval Benin, deep in the West African rainforest. Readers can even visit China’s long-lost capital city of Xianyang—a city for which no original map exists, which was brought to life with support from the British Museum‘s fantastic team of experts.

Cities featured include Jericho, Memphis, Athens, Xianyang, Rome, Constantinople, Baghdad, Jórvík, Benin City, Tenochtitlán, Granada, Beijing, Venice, Delhi, Cuzco, Amsterdam, Sydney, Paris, London, Bangkok, Saint Petersburg, New York City, Berlin, San Francisco, and Tokyo, plus an exploration of Cities of Today and Cities of Tomorrow.

Andrew Donkin has sold over 10 million children’s books and graphic novels, worldwide. His graphic novel, Illegal (co-written with Eoin Colfer), was an international bestseller and has won or been nominated for over 40 book awards. Andrew has written for many global franchises, including Batman, Superman, Doctor Who, and Artemis Fowl. His non-fiction work includes biographies of Roald Dahl, William Shakespeare, and Albert Einstein. He loves books, comics, and tea. Andrew lives with his family near the river Thames in London, England.

Tracey Turner has written lots of books for children, including How Many Mice Make an Elephant, The Curious Book of Lists, Exploding Beetles and Inflatable Fish, and more than 80 other titles. Her work has been published in over 20 languages and many of her books have gone on to become best-sellers. She lives in Bath, England with Tom and their son, Toby, and Wellington the dog, and works as a writer and editor.

Libby VanderPloeg is an artist and illustrator. She always loved drawing and, growing up, was surrounded by books and stories, as her mother was a storyteller and children's librarian. After studying fine art in Chicago and working as a graphic designer, art director, and even a cheese monger in Brooklyn, she decided to focus on her lifelong love of drawing and illustration. She lives in Michigan, USA.