The Oxford Companion to Architecture

ISBN 10: 0198605684 ISBN 13: 9780198605683

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2009

Synopsis

The Oxford Companion to Architecture is a unique and indispensable two-volume resource for all who wish to enrich their passion and knowledge of architecture. 1,500 A-Z entries cover all aspects of architecture, from architects, building types, and movements and styles to materials, aspects of design, and definitions. High-quality illustrations complement and enhance the text, and in-depth cross-referencing and a thematic table of contents enable readers to find information easily.

About this title

About the Author

Dr. Patrick Goode is a historian and was an executive editor and contributor to the Oxford Companion to Gardens (1986) and Humphry Repton (1983). He is currently carrying out research on the relationship between Classicism and Modernism in 1930s Italy.

Reviews

This many-authored set is a “companion” rather than a dictionary or encyclopedia, writes editor Goode, “in that the authors were encouraged to make judgments, rather than merely list dates and attributions (though every effort has been made to ensure that these are correct).” Of course, the work does much more than that, providing 1,500 A–Z entries that will be accessible and informative for amateur and architect alike. Goode hopes that readers find it “informative and stimulating intellectually, but above all that it will inspire them to look at architecture in a new light.” Four-fifths of the coverage is devoted to the pre-1900 period, and contemporary architects “who did not made a significant reputation” by 2000 are excluded (at least from having entries of their own). Coverage is worldwide, purposely giving significant weight to Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and South America. The “Thematic Analysis of Entries” reveals entries for architects (by far the largest category); building types (Airports, Chateaux, Hotels, Prisons, Synagogues, Warehouses, etc.); countries and other geographic divisions; theory; architectural details (Arch, Doors, Gargoyle, Portico, etc.); materials; movements; and more. The thousands of significant buildings mentioned or discussed are not given separate entries. The greatest emphasis on the non-European traditions is in the often lengthy articles on countries, empires, and peoples (Africa, Buddhist architecture, Chile, Indian subcontinent, Iran). Fewer than 200 monochrome photos and building plans, ranging from small to full page, illustrate these pages. A fine and opinionated “Bibliographic Essay” (or rather an annotated bibliography extensively subdivided by topic) and an index of contributors round out the set. Recommended for academic and large public libraries for its authoritative, comprehensible, and wide-ranging coverage. --Craig Bunch

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0198605684
• ISBN 13: 9780198605683
• Binding: Product Bundle
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 1136
• Editor: Goode Patrick