McLaren (architecture, U. of Washington) argues that the tourist experience of Libya under Italian fascist colonial control was tied to the central colonial political project in which the modernization of the colony was negotiated with the preservation of its indigenous culture. He discusses tourism as a form of colonization in itself, as it was tied to and dependent on the building and enhancement of ports, the regularization of transportation, and the creation of modern public institutions. In addition to describing how the tourist experience reflected the wider oscillation between the modern and the traditional that was a central facet of the colonial project, he explores how this tension expressed itself in the architecture of tourist facilities. Numerous photographs and other illustrations are included in the text. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)