Architecture: From Prehistory to Postmodernity, Reprint 2nd Edition

Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., And Harrry N. Abrams, Inc., 2002. First Prnting . Hard Back. Very Good/Very Good. 9 1/4" x 12 . Michael, Judith - Designer. 624 Pages Indexed. Blue cloth over boards with silver lettering to the spine, and there is a silver decoration on the front board. No defects noted and interior text and illustration pages are near flawless. There are 1039 Illustrations, including 91 Plates in full color. Architecture is a structural, practical, and visual art. Without solidity, it is dangerous; without usefulness, it is merely large-scale sculpture; and without beauty, it is no more than utilitarian construction. In this book they deal with this triple aspect of the complex art that deeply affects our lives as the most pervasive of all human made things. The authors explain the dramatic changes in form, materials, and technology that have defined the built environment from prehistory to the twenty-first century. Moving between long views of historical trends and close ups of major works the authors make architecture and its history transparent, accessible, and compelling. Technological innovations such as the Roman arch, the Gothic rib-vault, and modern ferroconcrete, are explained with clarity as integral aspects of the periods of their invention. Through interpretations that become increasingly more sophisticated as the authors move toward the present, the text enables the reader to know architecture in meaningful terms, to understand its history and to appreciate its intrinsic and existential value. New to this edition, chapter fourteen covers in-depth the exciting architectural developments from circa 1980 to 2000 and extending to the present is the authors' treatment of the modern age. Diverse buildings and new technologies by leading architects such as Frank Gehry, Daniel Libeskind, Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid, Renzo Piano, Rem Koolhaas, Gae Aulenti, Tadao Ando, Rafael Moneo and others are discussed. This wave of new architecture, which combines theory, tradition, and beauty, concludes the authors' narrative. All buildings in the book are well illustrated, many in color, often with a combination of multiple views and plans. Hundreds of the photographs were taken by Professor Trachtenberg, a skilled architectural photographer, to illustrate points made in the text. Included is a guide to the reading of architectural plans and drawings, a glossary of architectural terms, and a list of books for further reading. This large heavy book, shipping weight 6 lbs, may incur additional shipping charges to some locations.