Product Description

This book is a practical primer to looking at architecture and all the elements that are included in buildings, from cornices and friezes to columns and porticos - all facets of buildings are included. Each chapter takes an architectural element and looks at its variety across various historical periods and geographical locations. Examples are shown through dozens of fine engravings with extended captions, creating a dip-in read and an effective I-Spy guide. Additional sections look at the clues offerred by history, geography and religion (with a timeline showing how and where architectural elements have been introduced), and at the significance of the ornaments.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10338 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02-14
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
"An ideal book for the traveller, student of architecture or photographer" --Suite101.com, September 14th 2008

About the Author
Dr Carol Davidson Cragoe is a well-respected academic who specialises in architectural history. She frequently teaches courses at Birkbeck College in London and she is the author of numerous books and papers on architectural history.

Customer Reviews

Enlightening little book, easy to read and effectively illustrated.
The book is arranged into short chapters each of which concentrates on one of the major features common to most buildings: doors, windows, arches, stairs, etc. Each page within each chapter discusses a particular period and how the major feature is distinguished in that period - this gives the book a comfortable predictable rhythm, but does on occasion lead to unnecessary repetition if reading the book cover to cover.

The glossary is sufficient for those of us whose vocabulary does not, at the time of starting the book, incorporate the many arhitectural terms used throughout the book.

The illustrations are engravings not photographs, and at the outset I had my doubts that they would be sufficient but for the most part they effectively illustrate the points being made in the text.

The book does not (at this size it can not) cover architecture in much depth, but it does offer an excellent overview that will inspire the reader to read the buildings they encounter from day to day (either in person or on their TV screens). It may also help the reader to understand why the appearance of some buildings can seem unusual or simply uninteresting.

architecture
This is the book I've been waiting for - lots of good illustrations to back up the text.