Containing over 5,000 entries from Aalto to ziggurat, this is the most comprehensive and up-to-date dictionary of architecture in paperback. Beautifully illustrated and written in a clear and concise style, it is an invaluable work of reference for both students of architecture and the general reader, as well as professional architects. Covers all periods of Western architectural history, from ancient times to the present day Concise biographies of leading architects, from Brunelleschi and Imhotep to Le Corbusier and Richard Rogers Over 250 illustrations specially drawn for this volume
Rarely does a reference work about a subject as vast and wide ranging as architecture appeal to the curious as well as serious researchers on the subject. This newly published, researched and up-to-date reference dictionary offers a complete guide to the history of the art of architecture. There are entries and biographies on historical as well as contemporary architects, designers and craftsmen with useful and relevant cross- references that together tell a complete story about a particular subject, style or theory. Architectural terms are made more assessable with attractive illustrations which help to better understand the differences between, for example, Doric or Ionic columns.
Biographical entries for a great number of well and lesser known architects, some with illustrations of their best-known works, and entries about their influences and contemporaries offer a well-rounded guide through the centuries of architectural achievement. James Stevens Curl is Emeritus Professor of Architectural History and a senior Research Fellow, School of Architecture, De Montfort University, Leicester, England. He has written many books including The Art and Architecture of Freemasonry which won the Sir Banister Fletcher Award for architectural writing in 1992.
This is a dictionary that is useful for students, professional architects, the general public and anyone with a passion for this most noble of the arts.