People don't generally buy coffee table books for themselves, but this one would be a lasting indulgence and bring more joy than the three or four boxes of chocolates that would have cost the same. The treasures comprise some of the more usual views and buildings but also glories we don't often think of like St. Petersburg and the view over the bridges of Prague - the most wooded city I've ever seen. This book shows you history, inheritance and that which we must protect and pass on for the future, real beauty, real treasures. ( )