The History of Architecture: Settings and Rituals - Hardcover

Kostof, Spiro

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195034724 ISBN 13: 9780195034721

Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc, 1985

Synopsis

Ten years in the making, A History of Architecture ranges from the first prehistoric environments on record to the most recent examples of urban design. A landmark work of impressive scope, the book is enhanced by 700 halftone illustrations and 150 drawings especially prepared by architect Richard Tobias. Kostof's range of study includes not only the monumental religious, governmental and upper-class structures around which architectural history has usually been written but also the diversity of ordinary domestic, rural, and urban buildings, and landscapes which surround them. Moreover, Kostof evaluates Western achievement in the context of contemporary cultures elsewhere. Thus he duscusses the high points of imperial Rome along with Buddhist stupas and Han palaces, compares medieval Florence with medieval Cairo, and introduces Inca and Aztec cities as the Spanish conquistadores would have seen them. The author's premise is that buldings are conditioned by the social, economic, and political frame of their time; in this sense, Kostof concludes, the history of architecture can be considered an aspect of the history of human institutions. "Architecture, in the end," he writes, "is nothing less than the gift of making places for some human purpose." About the Author: Spiro Kostof is Professor of Architectural History at the University of California at Berkeley. He is a former president of the Society of Architectural Historians and is the author of several books, among them Caves of God and The Third Rime, 1870-1950: Traffic and Glory, and editor of The Architect: Chapters in the History of the Profession

About this title

Review

Praise for the previous edition:

A magnificent guided tour through mankind's architecture....This splendid book is that rara avis, a treat for any reader and a first-rate textbook on the subject. (The New York Times Book Review)

Extremely valuable resource which puts architectural history into a larger social, cultural context, and integrates architectural and urban phenomena. (Jon Michael Schwarting, New York Institute of Technology)

The best introductory survey of architecture in English! (C.F. Otto, Cornell University)

A unique historical and cultural perspective, and an excellent portfolio of illustrations. A concise, engaging text! (Jack Anern, University of Massachussets)

Well organized, with a clear logical order and presentation of information. Great graphics. (Edward Dunson, Howard University)

[Kostof's] challenging text is ultimately inspiring, richly rewarding, and at times brilliant. This testament to his life will live for decades as a standard textbook. Highly recommended... (School Library Journal)

A superb text for introducing graduate students to the world of architecture! (Roger Lewis, University of Maryland)

I like the book very much....[I]ts text is very perceptive and interesting. (C.M. Smart, University of Arkansas)

Excellent as a basic text. (Jack Williams, Auburn University)

About the Author

Richard Ingersoll teaches courses in Renaissance and contemporary art, architecture, and urbanism at Syracuse University in Florence, Italy. He was founding editor of Design Book Review and author of Sprawltown, Looking for the City on Its Edges (2006). Ingersoll received his PhD from the University of California at Berkeley, under the direction of Spiro Kostof. Spiro Kostof (1936-1991) was Professor of Architectural History at the University of California at Berkeley, President of the Society for Architectural Historians, and author of the pioneering work, A History of Architecture, Settings and Rituals. He hosted the 5-part television series "America by Design." He also wrote The City Shaped, Urban Patterns and Meanings Through History (1991), The City Assembled, The Elements of Urban Form Through History (co-authored with Greg Castillo, 1992), and edited The Architect, Chapters in the History of the Profession (1977).

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc
• Publication date: 1985
• ISBN 10: 0195034724
• ISBN 13: 9780195034721
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 794