Perhaps no other city is as closely identified with one architect as Barcelona is with Antonio Gaudi (1852-1926). In honor of the 150th anniversary of his birth, the Institute of Culture of Barcelona, and its suborganization, Gaudi 2002, put together this impressive coffee-table volume. Examining various aspects of the architect's career and the history of the city, the essays, written by art and architecture experts, cover Gaudi's apprenticeship, his structural techniques, "the sacred and profane" qualities in his work, the Japanese influence, and various other topics. This breathtaking volume features a resoundingly thorough collection of photographs, as well as illustrations from early 20th century magazines, architectural sketches, and period photographs-all astonishing visual evidence of the architecture's geometrical complexities. They say that Gaudi is Barcelona, and the deep cultural and sociological roots that his work has in the Catalonian capital have rarely been so elaborately demonstrated. Some may notice the absence of maps and a simple listing of Gaudi's great works, but the book is still a work of art. Recommended for all libraries, particularly art and architecture collections.