Christian Rome: Early Christian Rome Catacombs and Basilicas By Philippe Pergola. Past and Present Series. English Translation by A. Potter. (Vision S.r.l., Rome: 2000. Pgs. 98. Illustrations, Drawings, Overlays, Map. Spiral Bound.) ISBN: 88-8162-101-0.

Italy: Monuments Past and Present By Philippe Pergola. Past and Present Series. English Translation by A. Potter. (Vision S.r.l., Rome: 2000. Pgs. 98. Illustrations, Drawings, Overlays, Map. Spiral Bound.) ISBN: 88-8162-101-0.

Israel: Past and Present. By D. Bahat. (Vision S.r.l., Rome: 1998. Pgs. 76. Illustrations, Overlays, Maps. Spiral Bound.) ISBN: 88-8162-083-9

Jordan: Past and Present. Petra, Jerash, Amman By E. Borgia. English Translation by A. Potter. (Vision S.r.l., Rome: 2001. Pgs. 76. Illustrations, Overlays, Maps. Spiral Bound.) ISBN: 88-8162-124-X.

These guidebooks are unique for a variety of reasons, most importantly the inclusion of overlays. The overlays show how the various monuments, buildings, and archaeological sites looked when they were originally constructed. When you remove the overlay, you can see how the various sites and items look today. Each volume is spiral bound and includes an historical overview of the area or topic under discussion. These books contain a wealth of illustrations ranging from images of ancient artwork, statuary, interior and exterior pictures of public and private buildings, to maps and modern artwork depicting ancient events or architecture and photographs of historically significant sites, such as a picture of the modern port at Caesarea in Israel. Additionally the various structures, artwork, and cultural artifacts pictured throughout the texts are discussed in detail.

These books will be of interest to both armchair travelers and actual travelers, and those interested in art history, history, and archaeology. Despite their relatively small size (about 22 X 16½ X 2 cm) these books are jammed-packed with information and are lavishly illustrated. Their diminutive size makes them easy to carry with when actually traveling to the sites in question. For those who cannot actually go and see these sites in person, these books are one of the best 'next to actually being there' books that I've come across.