Viewing photographs and reading about New York's World Trade Center is a way to grieve, and also to heal. Many of books published after September 11, 2001 show details of the terrorist attack. The titles listed here, however, recall the Twin Towers as they once were. Some emphasize spectacular color photographs, others delve into history, architecture, and engineering. All are powerful and provocative.
1. The World Trade Center Remembered
Paul Goldberger, architecture critic for the New Yorker, wrote the text to accompany superb color photographs by Sonja Bullaty and Angelo Lomeo. All the photographs were taken before the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Paperback, 108 pages.
2. Twin Towers Remembered
Over the past three decades, photographer Camilo José Vergara recorded the World Trade Center from every imaginable perspective. His photographs show the tower's construction, their soaring beauty, and the impact of their destruction.3. Twin Towers: The Life of New York City's World Trade Center
You won't find lush color photographs in this hefty text by Angus Kress Gillespie. Instead, this scholarly book, written well before the September 11 terrorist attack, is the thoughtful story of how the Twin Towers were built and how they came to symbolize New York. Also available in hardcover.4. The World Trade Center: A Tribute
Writer Bill Harris traces the planning and efforts that went into the creation of New York's Trade Center. This 96-page architectural history begins long before the Twin Towers were built and is updated to include the events of September 11, 2001.5. Sometime Lofty Towers: A Photographic Memorial
More than forty photographs by Jake Rajs show the World Trade Center before and after its destruction. Although much shorter than the other titles listed here, this inexpensive 88-page paperback is noteworthy for the detailed technical information written by Robert Hutchinson.6. World Trade Center: Tribute and Remembrance
With only 32-pages, this slim hardcover may leave you wishing for more. Nevertheless, the postcard-perfect photographs do convey respectful tribute to the World Trade Center buildings as they appeared before the September 11 attacks. Also, this book is very affordable.