Customer Reviews

Architecture Styles Spotter's Guide: Classical Temples to Soaring Skyscrapers

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I have been collecting architectural field guides for a number of years. Most of the guidebooks focus on vernacular domestic architecture. This is the first guidebook that I have found that attempts to take on the large challange of categorizing different world styles of architecture. In theory, this is an exciting idea because there must hundreds or maybe even thousands of architectural styles in the world. The idea of categorizing and defining styles is an inherently exciting one.

Unfortunately, this ridiculously superficial book does not deliver on what is promised. As an example, the section on Chinese architecture is only two pages long and has four small photos! How can one hope to learn anything about the rich subject of Chinese architecture in just two pages? This book is crammed with other equally absurd propositions.

If one is interested in learning more about the different style of world architecture, spend the money and purchase Francis D.K. Ching's "History of Global Architecture." If new to this interest, stick with an American classic, "A Field Guide to American Houses" by Virginia and Lee McAlister.

Ambitious in its aims--in places too ambitious--this slim but packed volume still succeeds easily in becoming the most useful, comprehensive and attractive concise guide available. The Asian chapter is too brief, but is nevertheless worth including in providing visual comparisons for the many and various western styles that reference Asian features. Chapters on Byzantine and Islamic architecture are well-presented and again show how later parallels use lines, ornaments and features borrowed from these early sources. From the Middle Ages on, literally hundreds of European and North American styles are outlined here, with ample cross-referencing so that the evolution of a style can be traced with ease. This book is not wordy and sometimes oversimplifies (probably for the sake of economy of space--the book is intended to be carried as a pocket guide) but shows how to identify these distinct styles by outlining simply what defines them, with many beautiful pictures. --Clara Brenger

The "Architecture Styles Spotter's Guide" is a fantastic book on all things to do with... well, architectural styles. It is a smallish, pocket-book type in size, that is fun to carry around when driving around town viewing buildings. It also makes an interesting read just to learn about the varying styles and how they were developed, replete with photos for example. For such a small book, it is packed with information. And, I have to say, the price was excellent when I found it on here (under $2.00). That always helps. : But no matter the price, I had searched for a while to find this particular book and am very happy to now own and use it.