Searching for books set in New York usually surfaces The Great Gatsby first. Start there for a famous classic, but choose by mood: crime, romance, arrival stories and neighborhood history each point to different titles. Readers who like to pair a book with a city walk can browse the City Art and Literature collection, including…

The best books set in london depend on mood and era: Dickens and Sherlock Holmes for the classics, Neil Gaiman and Zadie Smith for newer takes, and lesser-known novels for boarding houses, bars and wartime nights. A London reading list is easy to over-simplify. Readers who like to explore a city through its culture can…

Style What to look for Planning use Tag A stylised signature of the artist’s name, often done quickly and usually in one colour Start here when identifying a wall. Tags are the most common style, so you will meet them first. Throw-up Rounded bubble letters with minimal negative space, in two colours: one fill and…

Museum What stands out Planning use The Met Around two million pieces across centuries and genres; the main building opened in 1880 on 13 acres of Central Park property Choose a few galleries in advance. Expect to return rather than finish it in a single sweep. MoMA More than 200,000 modern and contemporary pieces; the…

Museum or ticket Supported detail Planning use Louvre, Paris Antiquities and European painting, including Leonardo’s Gioconda; described as arguably the world’s most famous museum Choose it for headline names, and decide on one department before you arrive rather than trying to cover the whole building Prado Museum, Madrid: tickets General admission 15 euros; reduced admission…

Reader goal Start with Planning use Jazz Age café atmosphere Hemingway, A Moveable Feast One reader calls it evocative of Jazz Age Paris. Choose it for period atmosphere, not for a driving plot. Gritty working-class Paris Zola, L’Assommoir Suits readers who do not mind the seedier side of old Paris. A Paris that has vanished…