Jean Pistre: Tracing the Roots of Architecture
Language: English
Published by TASCHEN, 2026
- Hardcover
- New

Seller: Revaluation Books, Exeter, United KingdomRevaluation Books
AbeBooks seller since January 6, 2003
Condition: New
£ 51.00
Quantity: 2 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
432 pages. 9.37x2.00x11.89 inches. In Stock.
Seller Inventory # __3754401971
- Title
- Jean Pistre: Tracing the Roots of Architecture
- Author
- Jodidio, Philip (Editor)/ Pistre, Jean (Author)
- Publisher
- TASCHEN
- Publication year
- 2026
- Condition
- Brand New
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 3754401971
- ISBN 13
- 9783754401972
- Item weight
- 2.45 kilograms
Before the evolution of theory, style or technology, there was the simple act of building. Celebrated French architect Jean Pistre explores this essential human gesture, tracing it across cultures, climates and centuries.
Sparked by a formative experience in the forests of southern Mexico, Pistre embarks on a journey through vernacular architecture around the world. He details and deconstructs 76 of the key dwellings he discovered: from igloos in Greenland and mud huts in Cameroon to timber-framed Alpine chalets in the Alps, tree houses in Papua and bamboo fishermen’s dwellings in Sulawesi. Each study is expressed in the unifying graphic language of line drawings.
Pistre doesn’t present these buildings as relics, but as fully functional buildings in various communities, shaped by intelligence, environment, necessity and lived experience. A powerful pattern appears: not of form, but of spirit. Far from notions of the “primitive”, they are evidence of a refined understanding of climate, material, human behaviour, and an ingenious economy of means, honed over generations.
Alongside illustrative photos, the author’s lively commentary interprets this dialogue between people and place. What stands out is the surprising unity that emerges across vastly different civilizations and geographies. This engrossing book is not simply a catalogue of time-worn building techniques, nor a nostalgic reflection. It is an open invitation―guided by Pistre’s keen eye and more than 900 drawings―to see differently, to recognise in diverse dwellings a shared human ingenuity, and to rethink contemporary architecture from its deepest roots.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Jean Pistre set up his practice Valode & Pistre Architecture Firm in 1980 together with Denis Valode. The studio has offices in Paris, Moscow, and Beijing and plans projects of diverse scales, from developing new cities to designing furniture.
Philip Jodidio studied art history and economics at Harvard and edited Connaissance des Arts for over 20 years. His TASCHEN books include the Homes for Our Time series and monographs on numerous major architects, including Norman Foster, Tadao Ando, Renzo Piano, Jean Nouvel, and Zaha Hadid.
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Revaluation Books
Exeter, United Kingdom
AbeBooks seller since January 6, 2003
Shipping rates from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
| Item | 2 to 3 business days | 7 to 14 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 35.00 | £ 35.00 |
Payment methods
Seller's business information
Edward Bowditch Ltd
Exstowe, Exton
Exeter, United Kingdom EX3 0PP
Terms of sale
Legal entity name: Edward Bowditch Ltd
Legal entity form: Limited company
Business correspondence address: Exstowe, Exton, Exeter, EX3 0PP
Company registration number: 04916632
VAT registration: GB834241546
Authorised representative: Mr. E. Bowditch
Right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to Revaluation Books, Hounslow, United Kingdom, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
- The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
- The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.
Shipping terms
Orders usually dispatched within two working days.