A World History of Architecture

A magnificently illustrated guide to the global history of architecture—updated to include the non-western world and works from women

The Second Edition of this historical architectural guide gives you a deeper knowledge and wider perspective of traditions in architecture throughout the world—from prehistoric through modern structures. Extensively and beautifully illustrated, the book includes photos, plans, scales for world-famous structures such as the Parthenon, Versailles, the Brooklyn Bridge, and many others.

Customer Reviews:

Bring back the missing examples!

By Prof - August 22, 2009

This Second Edition of "A World History of Architecture" is an exact reprint of "Buildings Across Time", Third Edition by the same authors and publisher.
The difference? Price. $52 more! Just check the other book. For a while the First Edition was out of print so I was forced to use "Buildings Across Time" (I teach architecture at a Community College so price is very important to me). While I understand that the publishers have to make a profit, how is that that they can "afford" to sell this book for $41 while an exact copy of the "approved" higher education version is $92?
I welcome the addition of notable examples in the last chapter but I have a problem with the removal of many other buildings. Just to name a few that were present in the First Edition and are missing from the Second: Biskupin, Ishtar Gate, Temple of Ramesses II, Great Stupa at Borobodur, Caernarvon Castle etc. I am not sure what this cleansing is all about, both editions are 592 pages. Granted... read more

Beautiful book

By magellan - November 8, 2008

This is one of those big, beautiful art/architecture books that always seem to end up unread on people's coffee tables. But the book is worth reading for the wealth of good info on the buildings, and the photos are nothing less than superb. Modern wide-angle camera lenses that are used to photograph the interiors of buildings, for example, have improved greatly in the last 10-15 years, and the results show.

The most important buildings, from ancient times to modern times are covered, and the text is well done, informative, and not dry as are many books on art and architecture. One of the book's strengths is the coverage of the ideas and practices of important architects who have contributed many of the buildings in this book. The authors also do a good job of covering the social importance and context of the buildings and how they differed from culture to culture.

After reading this book, I would highly recommend Sir Nicholaus Pevsner's An Outline of European... read more

best comprehensive history of Western architecture by academics

By Jeffrey L. Blackwell - November 4, 2010

For its type & audience, this is the most comprehensive of the academic histories of World architecture (with a Western emphasis). It has the same limitations as nearly all academic texts in this field, focusing unquestioningly upon traditional periods of style and almost no background regarding the political & technical changes that produce new paradigms in building technique & architectural form.

To the authors' credit, with so much to cover in one volume, their selections were superb. Here are a few critical comments (intended constructively) regarding a text that is overall superbly concise. I feel they over-represent medieval architecture at the expense of Islamic architecture ( Arab,Persian, & Mongol). Also, the 1st & 2nd Industrial Revolutions should be emphasized after 1850.

1) 12th-13th century is all Western / European medieval. Probably state-of-the art architecture of this era was Islamic -- we know that Islamic empires and Monguls were conquering... read more