This volume is an emotional tribute to the Twin Towers, for a quarter of a century a symbol of peace and progress. A wealth of high impact photographic materials illustrates the various stages in the building of these giants of the Big Apple, with an analysis of what went on inside them, the business that was done and the people involved in the bustling, unstoppable activities of this pulsating heart of the economic – and not only – capital of our planet. Starting from the times when Manhattan was dominated by the skyscrapers built from the start of the 20th century onwards – the Empire State Building first and foremost, which was the world’s highest building for several decades – the book takes a look at the history and development of the area where the twin towers were to be built, paying particular attention to the society in which these transformations took place. Tragedies should never be forgotten, especially when it’s the madness of man that provokes them. The words might be obvious, but at the dawn of this new century and in the entire course of the one that’s just ended they’ve been denied and forgotten too often. The purpose of this book is not only to give an account of what happened on that terrible 11th September 2001, but to draw up a portrait of what the World Trade Center was and what it stood for, for the people of New York and the world in general. One section of the book is inevitably dedicated to the story that nobody would ever have wanted to write or document with images – the attack, the collapse, death. But for all its bitterness, this conclusion is the ultimate purpose of the book. “WTC” is also a message of hope for the future, as it illustrates the reconstruction, and the work underway. It’s only by bearing witness to rebirth that it’s possible to make sense of the tragedy and take something positive from the selfishness and insane indifference that caused such a deep wound in the hearts of us all.