Athens Scenes from a Capital City
By John Cleave & Introductions By Nikos Vatopoulos

Athens is well known as the birthplace of democracy, the cradle of a great culture.  Its ancient ruins are symbols of its illustrious history.  But the Greek capital is also a vibrant, contemporary city that is successfully forging a new identity for itself, a fascinating fusion of classical antiquity, more recent Greek history and twenty-first century.

There is more to Athens than the Acropolis, the Parthenon and the old town of Plaka: the city also boasts charming residential areas, historic squares, modern buildings, lively cafes, designer boutiques and the sites of the 2005 Olympic Games. 

Among those who have fallen under the spell of Athens are architectural photographer John Cleave and architecture critic Nikos Vatopoulos, the team behind this book.  Included are over 180 of Cleave’s illustrations, water-color-like in style but in fact computer-derived from his original photographs using Adobe Photoshop, and accompanied by his own annotations.  His illustrations depict both famous landmarks and the lesser-known corners that lend Athens a special charm.  Vatopoulos’s text gives an introduction, both authoritative and personal, to the city’s centre and the surrounding areas. 

96 pages. Hardcover.