The first in a new series of historical and archaeological guides to some of the major cities of antiquity is devoted to the Athenian Acropolis. The concise text really comes secondary to the stunning colour photographs taken by Mario Bettella as the reader is taken around the buildings of the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the Propylaia and the Temple of Athena Nike. Taken from privileged angles, set against a bright blue sky and without a tourist in sight, the photographs offer a better visual guide than any visit to the site could provide. Future guides in the series will look at Pompeii, Ephesus, Ostia, Petra and Pergamon.