Understanding Architecture - Hardcover

Bussagli, Marco

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0765680718 ISBN 13: 9780765680716

Publisher: Routledge, 2004

Synopsis

This text examines the concept of freedom in the context of American labour history. Nine essays develop themes in this history which show that "liberty of contract" and "inalienable rights" form two contradictory traditions concerning freedom.

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Reviews

Grade 7 Up–This smart, insightful narrative with outstanding graphics provides a nuanced survey of world architecture from Neolithic huts c. 4000 B.C.E. to the contemporary soaring structures of Santiago Calatrava. The crisp presentation includes abundant color photographs, renderings, diagrams, floor plans, and site plans, all exquisitely reproduced and seamlessly melded with bulleted text in uniform two- to four-page spreads. The first volume, What Is Architecture?is divided into "People and Space," "Buildings and Typologies," "Techniques, Materials, and Structures," and "Styles." The second, Civilizations, Architectural Achievements, Outstanding Figures, provides a chronological overview of selected masterpieces and the people and cultures that produced them. Unfortunately, access is hindered by the lack of a comprehensive index (an index that includes only personal names appears in each volume). Students will need to consult the contents pages for building types, materials and structures, and styles, such as skyscrapers, the arch, or "Islamic Architecture" (e.g., a student researching pyramids would find a relevant entry under architectural achievements in the table of contents). This set is a good choice for art history collections in need of a concise architecture overview. For a heftier tome, see Marian Moffett's A World History of Architecture (McGraw-Hill, 2003).–Mary Ann Carcich, Hampton Bays Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

This beautifully illustrated English translation of Capire l'architettura was produced in Italy. Volume 1, What Is Architecture? has four parts: "People and Space," "Buildings and Typologies," "Techniques, Materials, and Structures," and "Styles." Each is divided into numerous spreads of roughly two to four pages, such as "Music and Architecture," "Religious Buildings," "The Arch," and "Chinese Architecture." The section on styles runs the full gamut of well-known styles from antiquity to contemporary architecture in roughly chronological order. Volume 2, Civilizations, Architectural Achievements, Outstanding Figures, features 95 two-page spreads ranging from "Neolithic Populations and Ethnographic Cultures" to "Santiago Calatrava" Along the way are entries on Persepolis, Angkor, Canterbury, Raphael, Thomas Jefferson, the Katsura Imperial Villa, and Brasilia

Although the set is given juvenile literature subject headings by the Library of Congress, the mostly color illustrations (two or three photos per page on average) will appeal to all ages and aptitudes. The text, however, though clear and well-organized, abounds in technical architectural terms that will be unfamiliar to readers of any age who are not architecture aficionados. The second paragraph of the entry on domes, for instance, includes the terms calotte, pendentives, and squinches, among others. Although many such terms are identified in nearby diagrams, a glossary would have been helpful. Moreover, while the table of contents makes finding Hagia Sophia or Chartres Cathedral easy enough, the index is limited to personal names and a small number of architects' studios and movements.

With photos that may inspire some to travel and others to careers as architects, the set is suitable for high-school and public libraries. A highly recommended lower-cost alternative is Jonathan Glancey's The Story of Architecture (DK, 2000); at about two-thirds the length of Understanding Architecture, its pictures will also inspire, and its glossary and index make it more useful as a reference source. Craig Bunch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0765680718
• ISBN 13: 9780765680716
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 384