Customer Reviews

Brick: A World History

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After reading favourable reviews by architectural critics, I was pleased to find that this book exceeded my expectations. The book is an authoritative history of the use of world's oldest building material. Despite its massive size, it is easy to read and covers a lot of ground, from the origins of the brick in mud-bricks in the Near East to the modern day. The clearly written text is complemented by sumptuous colour photographs. For these reasons, it stands out.

This book certainly opened my eyes to the variety of buildings in which brick has been used and introduced many that I would like to visit myself. It makes you look at the world in a whole new way. It not only covers the shows the wide range of design possibilities but also the practical aspects of building in brick. For the serious student, there is an illustrated glossary at the end. A fascinating book for both students and laymen alike.

The author writes easily, seems to know everything, and has a completely unpretentious style. He also chose his subjects well, with many less-well-known examples and only a few icons. As a historian, he occasionaly suffers from their tendency to document, say, the names and ruling periods of the Middle Ages Persian kings before getting to the interesting parts about the use of brick in that era. The photographs are all similar to the one on the cover--deep colors and bright sunlight--and their consistency adds a nice touch. The organization of the book was good too, presenting the subject in manageable bites.

This is, simply, an outstanding book. While Campbell delivers in taking an unlikely subject (brick? who would have thought?) and making it interesting to the general reader, the real draw of this book is its breathtaking photographs. Suffused with light, stunning in composition, masterful in perspective they practically glow as one turns the page. Will Pryce is clearly one to watch. This is a book that will delight general audiences and architectural historians alike. Buy it!

Purchased this for my father's, who is a retired brick mason, 67th birthday. The quality of the book, pictures, and writing are all excellent. Upon receiving it, my father immediately began reading and studying the book which is a real testament to its ability to capture and maintain ones interest.

Comprehensive history of the development and usage of bricks over time. Using as a reference in my new book titled "The First Environmental Engineers; Ham, Pork, and Chop"

This is an amazing book, if you happen to be interested in Bricks, which the recipient certainly was.

However, having just paid over £30 for the book, secondhand, I was disappointed to pass it on to the Birthday Boy in it's postage parcel, for him to find the cover was torn,and worse, it had on it a price sticker on it saying 95p! Mortifying. Guess whoever sold it to me bought it from a car boot sale, or charity shop - all I can say is, well done for spotting a bargain!

A powerful and original book. Wonderfully rich and beautiful photographs accompany a lucid text.