Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Absolutely love the topic and this type of book, usually for getting out of the library and dreaming of where to visit. Would make an excellent addition to the collection of anyone that likes planning their next historical visit.

I just love reading these books especially if I have been to some of these places or looking into visiting these hopefully in the future. So when World's Greatest Wonders by Editors of Chartwell Books came available to read and review I just had to request it.
This book is an illuminating visual guide to 30 stunning man-made and natural wonders and is full of beautiful photos throughout.

The wonders of the world they write about are:-

Stonehenge, Pyramids of Giza, Valley of the Kings, Petra, Acropolis, Terracotta Army, The Colosseum, Teotihuacán, Nazca Lines, Chichen Itzá, The Moai, Angkor Wat, Machu Picchu, Forbidden City, St. Peter’s Basilica, Taj Mahal, Empire State Building, Sydney Opera House, Antarctica, Galapagos Islands, The Amazon, Iguazu Falls, Sahara, Virunga National Park, Kilimanjaro, Anjajavy, Himalayas, Niagara Falls, Grand Canyon, and Tongariro.

It is beautifully Illustrated throughout, which made this book a great find, especially if you want to travel to some of the places within this book.

BIg thank you to Chartwell Books, Quarto Books Look and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review

I would like to thank NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this ebook.

World's Greatest Wonders by Editors of Chartwell Books is filled with beautiful pictures of both manmade and natural wonders around the world. I really liked the way how the information was presented as well. This would make a good coffee table.

Chartwell Books has put together a great collection of pictures and text walking the reader through the “World’s Greatest Wonders” - both man-made and natural.

The book starts out by examining 18 man-made sites - ancient (Stonehenge) and modern (Sydney Opera House). None of these were unfamiliar to me, but the images and the accompanying text provided more detail than I had previously had known. This is followed by 12 gorgeous sets of images of natural landmarks. I was surprised that some of these were new to me (e.g. Iguazu Falls and Anjajavy).

Together, the 30 sites chosen provided an education and sparked a wish (alas, only a wish) that I could visit the sites. A paper copy of the book would make a good coffee table book. An electronic copy can be expanded, allowing a closer view of places and things only seen in broad swaths of images in the past. This is easily a five-star review.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

World’s Greatest Wonders was a fascinating book full of natural and man-made wonders. The book was insightful, interesting and included beautiful photographs. This would be the perfect read for a fan of history or travel and would make a great coffee table book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about all the Wonders!

I received an ARC from Chartwell Books via NetGalley, this review is my opinion.


We live in an amazing, marvelous world. In this book, the editors of Chartwell books did a lovely work building a list of sixteen manmade wonders and sixteen natural wonders. This book feels like a journey to the past and the present. With concise, but interesting historical and archeological information. This book will give you a glimpse of some of the most unexpected and beautiful places around the world. I truly like the photos and the graphic they design for each wonder. This book is a great choice for those who love geography, history, and maybe want to travel to these places. Well done to all the editor’s that work on this book.

The book is divided into two sections: man made wonders (18); and natural wonders (12). This is the companion to “The World’s Greatest Cities”, and I thought it was the better book, possibly because I had visited fewer of the sites listed. I had only been to 5 of the man-made wonders and one of the wonders of nature. Some of the man-made wonders had also made it into the “Greatest Cities”, but here there were more photos – so you got a better idea of the magnificence of the structures – and the line drawings were clearer and more informative.
Each site has something about the history of its creation, its (re)discovery by Westerners and its current state as a tourist site – including damage from pollution and tourism; and on-going restoration where relevant. The natural wonders have double page line-drawings noting the major native fauna found around the site. It would have been nice to have had photos there too, but maybe each photo would have been too small to have made a difference.
No book like this could possibly contain all the wonders of the world – not and still be manageable. On the whole, I found it to be a reasonable selection. However, I was very surprised to see Tongariro National Park from New Zealand included in the Natural Wonders section. I am a New Zealander, and have toured extensively in the country. While Tongariro is (by world standards) quite impressive – for New Zealand it is a second-string attraction. Why not include Fjordland (with Milford Sound and track, rainforest, Takahes etc), the geothermal area around Rotorua (Waiotapu, Whakarewarewa, Waimangu, etc) or Waitomo glow worm caves instead? There were maybe too many mountains/volcanoes in the book. Perhaps the addition of the Great Barrier Reef or one of the spectacular cave systems of the world (such as Aggtelek in Hungary/Slovakia) for a bit more variety.
Still, this is a beautiful and informative book, and sure to pique your wanderlust.
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I am a history major and I enjoyed this book. I think it is a great book for any age and it is a great way to get people interested in certain areas!

Earth is dotted with so many wonders, that it is impossible to visit all. But thankfully we have books to help us.
This picture book takes reader on a stunning and enjoyable tour of most astonishing places on earth which everyone should visit if possible.
I liked the stunning pictures which give two or three angles of the place.
It is accompanied by wonderful description of the site.
I like maccu pichu, itza, maoi fighters, stone henge, pyramids and Taj Mahal.
It was a satisfying reading and also aroused curiosity about wonderful places waiting for your attention.
Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.

AUTHOR

Written by Editors of Chartwell Books.

WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE?

Do you enjoy thumbing through travel magazines during the cold winter evenings? Would you like referring to a publication to refresh facts from an impressive reference book? Perhaps you just enjoy owning beautiful things. If you answered yes to either question then you might want to read on.

SYNOPSIS

Once upon a time there was a list of seven wonders of the world. Chartwell Books have taken the concept and created the World’s Greatest Wonders. It is a high-quality gallery book. If you are familiar with the original seven wonders you will recognize a few included in the 30 locations presented in World’s Greatest Wonders.

The World’s Greatest Wonders, by Editors of Chartwell Books is a spectacular volume jammed full of impressive high quality, full color, high-definition illustrations, and photographs. The guide is sub-divided into two sections: man-made wonders and natural wonders.

There is a genuine sense of quality in this tome; from the materials employed in its construction to the multitude of creative techniques utilized to produce such a ravishing spectacular feast for the eyes. Some pages are designed using striking paneled images organized to sit comfortably alongside nuggets of clear and concise information. Other pages have cut away visuals or schematics that vary wide-angle and close up images alongside bird’s eye views of the greatest wonders in the world today. In the case of the Naska lines, there is a double page spread magnificent in its awe inspiring complexity. With each turn of the page, there is yet another full color, high definition heavenly picture with maps showing the geographic location. Other elements that give the work a real sense of drama and excitement are the two-dimensional cut away models, architectural illustrations and drawings, as well as city wide images. In addition, there are a multitude of highly creative diagrams, including not to be missed eco diorama’s and panorama’s that have to be seen to be believed. The visuals are accompanied by important details about the subject that include age, size, dimensions, height, weight, historic background, and associated myths or legends.

It’s obvious that a significant amount of time, money, and effort have been employed in the creation of the World’s Greatest Wonders. The graphic designers, architects and illustrators have seriously out-done themselves. You will often hear the phrase that ‘a thing of beauty is a joy forever’ and it is also true of the World’s Greatest Wonders.

CONCLUSION

This hardback is definitely worthy of your home library. There are biodiverse cross-sectional illustrations that are absolutely captivating. If you want to know more about such varied sites as: Stonehenge, the Pyramids of Giza, the Sidney Opera House, the Empire State Building, St. Peter’s Basilica; or natural sites of great wonder such as: the Amazon, Antarctica, the Galápagos Islands, the Sahara, or Kilimanjaro, then World’s Greatest Wonders is a must have.

I really enjoyed this visual-heavy look at both man-made and natural wonders around the globe - I liked the cutaway drawings of ancient sites, showing what structures like the Pyramids, the Mayan temples, and the city of Petra looked like inside and at the time of construction.

The natural wonders section started off great, but ended abruptly - it seemed like maybe my ebook file got cut off? And I'm curious why the "detail" panels for these natural wonders focused only on the animal life in those areas, and not more on the "wonder" itself - that seemed a little sideways to me.

Regardless, it was a fascinating book and a great way to armchair travel and take my attention away from the chaos of COVID-19.

Such an interesting book to go through and learn more about places I've been, and add more to the to-see list!

Thanks to Chartwell Books and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in Exchange for an honest review.

This book takes quite an interesting approach in that it contains both man-made and natural wonders. It's one of those coffee table type books that you enjoy picking up and flicking through and the entries might be enough to inspire you to go and find out more about one of the wonders contained within.

The 3D cutout models are really cool and remind me a bit of the illustrations in the DK Eyewitness Travel books. The information itself is fine if a little sparse but I got the sense that the focus was more on the imagery.

The photographs are really beautiful but I felt the colours were a little oversaturated. Most of these places are beautiful enough without photo trickery.

A nice enough book but i'm not sure it brought anything new to the table when compared with similar books

An amazing visual guide to the natural and man-made wonders of the world, including factual information and stunning photos. Escapism at its finest, with something surely everyone will find captivating, whether that be Stonehenge, the Grand Canyon, Machu Picchu or Angkor Wat. I read on kindle but imagine the hard cover copy will be fabulous and may need to be an addition to my coffee table travel books. I currently have 7 titles in this range, mostly Lonely Planet volumes, but as a travel, book and travel book addict, I can be temped to add another one, and this one may just make the cut.

*I received an advance review copy of World's Greatest Wonders from the publisher through NetGalley.

A great and inspirational travel book that has me planning more trips! if you need travel inspiration this is a great book!

A real gem: exactly the sort of book I wondered over as a young boy - but this is for adults too. I especially loved the photos of the wonders as they are now - and the sketches of their 'restored' state. A book like this is an investment in imagination and inspiration, and something to own in print if possible. Highly recommended.

We all know that the world is full of wonders though often we don't even think about them.  This beautifully photographed title will remind you to be in awe of some amazing places.  It features both man-made and natural wonders including places like Stonehenge, Petra, Chichen itza, St Peter's Basilica and more in the man-made section while the natural wonders include The Galapagos Islands, Iguazu Falls, Kilimanjaro, Niagara Falls and others.

Each wonder is placed on a map, is gorgeously photographed and diagrammed.  A lovely book for the armchair traveler.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.  I look forward to seeing the print copy of this one.

#WorldsGreatestWonders #NetGalley

An encyclopedia of human-made and natural wonders around the world. From the pyramids at Giza to the Amazon rainforest, each wonder gets a page or two of facts and description, plus inside-look diagrams. Fascinating reading for science enthusiasts, nature lovers, and those who enjoy mysterious features like Stonehenge. Good for adults and advanced young readers, who will enjoy the pictures if nothing else.

A great introduction to some of the most interesting places in the world. Photographs and maps catch the reader's interest, and text is factual and concise, a good starting point for learning about each place. Some of the writing is a bit awkward (present tense about past times, for example), but it does the job.

Will likely purchase for my public library.