The History of Architecture: Settings and Rituals - Softcover

Kostof, Spiro

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195034732 ISBN 13: 9780195034738

Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc, 1985

Synopsis

When the late Spiro Kostof's A History of Architecture appeared in 1985, it was universally hailed as a masterpiece―one of the finest books on architecture ever written. Now, updated and expanded, this classic reference continues to bring to readers the full array of civilization's architectural achievements.

Insightful, engagingly written and graced with close to a thousand superb illustrations, the Second Edition of this extraordinary volume offers a sweeping narrative that examines architecture as it reflects the social, economic, and technological aspects of human history. The scope of the book is astonishing. Kostof examines a surprisingly wide variety of man-made structures: prehistoric huts and the TVA, the pyramids of Giza and the Rome railway station, the ziggurat and the department store. Kostof considered every building worthy of attention, every structure a potential source of insight, whether it be prehistoric hunting camps at Terra Amata, or the caves at Lascaux with their magnificent paintings, or a twenty-story hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

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: 0195034732
• ISBN 13: 9780195034738
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 796