(. . .) This book is not written for specialists, archaeologists or connoisseurs; it is written for the majority of people who either live in, or visit Athens, and wish to know its history and its past and present monuments. It describes in brief everything of archaeological, historical and artistic value that exists in the ancient and glorious city and might be of interest to the reader. Every effort has been made to bring the work up to date, particularly with regard to recent archaeological discoveries. (. . .) In addition to the text, all illustrations were also revised. However, instead of the common pictures of monuments that abound in the majority of guide books, I chose to illustrate this book in a more artistic manner. (. . .)

[Απόσπασμα από το κείμενο του προλόγου]