""It's a great wall!" exclaimed President Nixon to his hosts on the obligatory visit to a restored section of China's most famous monument. The rest has crumbled away - a fate that has overtaken other handsome or legendary walls. They deserve more respect. Walls are the building blocks of our homes and cities, the barriers we erect to protect our lives and property, and the blank canvases we paint or decorate. Yet most are so familiar that they are taken for granted.

Writer-photographer Michael Webb and designer-filmmaker Arnold Schwartzman, two English expatriates in Los Angeles, have each photographed remarkable walls on their travels. In this anthology of pictures and text, their finds are grouped in four overlapping categories: symbolism, protection, materials, and ornament."--BOOK JACKET.