Arcades opens with an account of the architectural and social history of the arcade and a discussion of its typological development. The core of the book is a descriptive catalog of nearly 300 arcades, listed alphabetically by city, and illustrated with some 200 plans and drawings and 265 photographs. Many of these arcades remain standing today, whether in restored or modified form. Most of the examples are European but arcades in the United States, Latin America, and Australia are also included as is the work of 20th-century architects and entrepreneurs. The grand arcades of Paris, London, and Milan are described in rich detail; but smaller versions in Derby, England, or Winterthur, Switzerland, or St Paul, Minnesota, are described as well.