Israel: Past and Present By D. Bahat Vision S.r.l., Rome: 1998 ISBN: 88-8162-083-9

Israel: Past and Present, as with the other guidebooks in this series, are unique for a variety of reasons. The most important reason is the inclusion of overlays. The overlays show how 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. This volume is spiral bound and includes an historical overview of Israel and each area or topic under discussion. The book contains a wealth of illustrations ranging from images of ancient artwork, statuary, and 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.

This book will be of interest to both armchair travelers and actual travelers, as well as those interested in art history, history, and archaeology. Despite its relatively small size (about 22 X 16½ X 2 cm) this book is jammed-packed with information, and it is lavishly illustrated. Its diminutive size makes it easy to carry along with you when you're actually traveling to the sites in question. For those who cannot actually go and see these sites in person, this book is one of the best 'next to actually being there' books that I've come across. If you are interested in Israeli history or archaeology, or if you are planning on touring aroung Israel, this is a must have book!

• The Archaeology of Ancient Judea and Palestine, by Ariel Lewin.
  A brief overview of the history and archaeology of ancient Judea and Palestine, written for the general reader.
  
  
• Golden Jerusalem, by Menashe Har-El.
  A completely updated and revised edition of Har-El's famed book, This is Jerusalem. This book describes the history, geography, and archaeology of Jerusalem from the Canaanite period onward.