Review by Choice Review
This title combines the best of two art-book formats: it is filled with excellent color photographs that illustrate architectural forms, yet it is also the size of a field guide and can be held comfortably in the hand. Prina (independent scholar) opens with a discussion of the tools architects use: geometry, architectural drawings, and models. The main section covers familiar forms such as column, arch, vault, and window, and following sections cover materials and decoration. Within each topic, the order of buildings is not strictly chronological, but shows the evolution of the form from simple to complex. The author has given preference to European examples but uses non-Western examples to emphasize certain characteristics. The last section discusses 17 masterpiece buildings from around the world, and is followed by a brief glossary and indexes. The text is detailed and technical, with only a few line drawings illustrating definitions. Although this is not a standard reference book, it delights the eye with its juxtapositions, and could be the inspiration for a field trip to see these wonderful buildings. This is the first in a new series, Princeton Field Guides to Art. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers; general readers. V. E. Young Randolph-Macon College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Like a good building, this primer to architecture exhibits a strong concept, clearly articulated parts, and high-quality construction. The chapters address five key topics: the tools of the architect, stability and form, materials and techniques, architecture and decoration, and masterpieces compared. Each chapter is divided further into its component parts, such as (for the chapter on stability and form) wall, column, capital, entablature, etc.; and each component is elucidated by a one-page essay and augmented by a concise sidebar with either the origin of the element or a deeper exploration of one facet of that element. The enduring value, however, lies in the handsome, full-color illustrations and ample captions that explain them. The emphasis is almost exclusively Western, but the breadth of examples compensates for any narrowness of treatment. The translation for the original Italian is highly readable, although the narrow margins cramp the text alongside the gutters. Verdict This will serve as a fine choice for first-semester architectural history and design students, perhaps in tandem with classics like Steen Eiler Rasmussen's Experiencing Architecture, Witold Rybczynski's The Look of Architecture, and Eugene Raskin's Architecturally Speaking. It easily eclipses James O'Gorman's ABC of Architecture and will complement the recent concise survey Architecture: A World History (Abrams).-Paul Glassman, Felician Coll. Lib., Lodi, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
