Pericoli began working on the original, pen and ink drawings in 1998. More than two years, fifteen hundred buildings, and nineteen bridges later, the two 37-foot-long scrolls of the East and West Sides of the Manhattan skyline were completed. In this book version, an elegant slipcase contains a 24-panel, 22-foot-long accordion fold-out, with the entire East and West Side drawings, one on each side. An essay about the drawings by Paul Goldberger, The New Yorker magazine's architecture critic, accompanies the book in a separate pamphlet.

“Pericoli's drawing is at once monumental and gentle." — The New Yorker

(to read more, click here)

“Pericoli has fixed a moment of the ever-shifting skyline, and done so with delicacy and authority." — The New York Times

(to read more, click here)

“The most appealing thing about this book... is the newcomer’s sense of rage at the scale and speed of the city, and the corresponding desire to try to make it his own." — Vogue

(to read more, click here)

"Pericoli's lines have the delicacy of Mozart, but his masses have the suave rhythms of Ellington." — from the introductory essay by Paul Goldberger

To purchase "Manhattan Unfurled" from Amazon, click here.

Manhattan Within, Random House (2003)

A 360 degree view of Manhattan as seen from its geographical center and escape: Central Park. The original drawing, in colored pencil, oil pastel, and graphite, measures 32 feet. The book features a slipcase containing the full-color drawing (reduced to 22 feet) in an accordion fold-out format and a separate pamphlet with a journal by Matteo Pericoli about the method, philosophy, and evolution of the work.

“The buildings... are drawn with architectural rigor and Steinbergian whimsy." — The New Yorker

(to read more, click here)

“An astonishing 360-degree view of the Manhattan skyline as viewed from inside Central Park." — Booklist

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“L’astrazione permea l’intero dispiegarsi di questo skyline interiore." — Il Foglio

(to read more, click here)

To purchase "Manhattan Within" from Amazon, click here.

See the City: the journey of Manhattan Unfurled, Knopf for Young Readers (2004)

In this version of Manhattan Unfurled for young people, the two 37-foot long scrolls are bound into two sections (East Side and West Side) in an unusual and eye-catching new format. Pericoli adds simple text, and hand-drawn labels, telling young readers how he came to create his drawing (the journey includes boat rides, a motorcycle, and hundreds of photographs). He also encourages kids to see — and draw — a place in a whole new way. “Draw everything,” he tells them, “and you’ll know a place as you never did before.”

“[Pericoli] celebrates creativity while paying homage to the Manhattan he loves.” — USA Today

(to read more, click here)

“Full of charm and energy and life…a marvelous work for children. … Just wonderful.” — Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

(to read more, click here)

“Like David McCauley, Pericoli dazzles with his style and conveys warm appreciation of that which seems ordinary.” — Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

(to read more, click here)

To purchase "See the City" from Amazon, click here.

The True Story of Stellina, Knopf for Young Readers (2006)

This is the true story of Stellina. Stellina, a baby finch, who found herself stranded on a busy city sidewalk after falling from her nest. Stellina, who waited and waited for her mother to return, while cars roared past. Stellina, who found a new home - and a family - in a surprising way. Stellina was a bird: "Cheep." This is her true story.

“Winsomely written and illustrated.” — The New York Times

(to read more, click here)

“Small readers will be won over, and bigger ones will be enchanted.” — Booklist, Starred Review

(to read more, click here)

“Readers will appreciate its respectful simplicity, helpful patterning, and warm affection.” — The Bulletin, Starred Review

(to read more, click here)

To purchase "The True Story of Stellina" from Amazon, click here.

New York e altri disegni, Quodlibet (2005)

Inspired by the exhibition "New York e altri disegni" (Fiesole, Florence, 2005), the book is a collection of 45 drawings and three essays by Achille Varzi, Gilberto Rossini, and Matteo Pericoli. (click here to read the essay by Matteo Pericoli)

"Pericoli’s drawings do not tell us what he sees, but what he thinks." — from the introductory essay by Achille Varzi

To read a review of the exhibit in Il Corriere della Sera click here, in La Stampa click here.

To order "New York e altri disegni" from Quodlibet (IT), click here.

Il mestolo di Adele, by Sebastiano Ruiz Mignone, illustrations di Matteo Pericoli, Emme Edizioni (2008)

Objects do not speak, although they know how to tell many things: a ladle ("mestolo" in Italian) can make you think of wonderful dishes, dinner parties and a mother cooking. And it can tell even more, when it lies on a table among dozens of other objects confiscated from a Jewish family.

Prince of the Clouds, by Gianni Riotta, illustrations by Matteo Pericoli, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (2000)

First published in Italy by Rizzoli, Prince of the Clouds is a tale that blends romance and military strategy.