Architectural History Retold

How much do you know about Greek architecture? Roman? Gothic? The Renaissance? Modernism? Perhaps more importantly, do you know how these are connected or how one style evolved to become another? Or what happened historically during each of these periods?

Architectural History Retold is your roadmap for your journey through architectural history. Offering a fresh take on what the author calls the ‘Great Enlightenment project’, it traces the grand narrative of western architecture in one concise, accessible volume. Starting in Ancient Greece and leading up to the present day, Paul Davies' unconventional, engaging style brings the past back to life, helping you to think beyond separate components and styles to recognise ‘the bigger picture’.

The author is an academic and journalist with three decades of experience in introducing students to architectural history. The book is based on his successful entry-level course which has used the same unstuffy approach to break down barriers to understanding and engagement and inspire generations of students.

Paul Davies was born on Mersea Island in 1961, and studied at Bristol University and the Polytechnic of Central London. He has taught across Britain’s schools of architecture, including the Architectural Association, for over 25 years. A regular contributor to the Architectural Review, he is widely published and is a Senior Lecturer teaching history and theory of architecture at London South Bank University.