Once a suburb of Jaffa, Tel Aviv's rapid growth and attainment of municipal status furthered its meaning as the first new Hebrew city. Azaryahu (geography, U. of Haifa) describes how the city became a real presence and a symbol of success, beginning at its founding in 1909 as a "garden suburb" that grew to be the home of almost 130,000 by 1939. He examines Tel Aviv's stages as a Zionist vision, as a post-Zionist cultural hub, as an interpreter of nostalgia and local prestige, and as a global entity, including maps, period photographs and artwork to show how these stages progressed in the actions and minds of residents and observers. The result is an able assessment of the cities as expressions of hope. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)