The Classical Language of Architecture (Paperback)

by John Summerson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Classical architecture is a visual 'language' and like any other language has its own grammatical rules. Classical buildings as widely spaced in time as a Roman temple, an Italian Renaissance palace and a Regency house all show an awareness of these rules even if they vary them, break them or poetically contradict them. Sir Christopher Wren described them as the 'Latin' of architecture and the analogy is almost exact. There is the difference, however, that whereas the learning of Latin is a slow and difficult business, the language of classical architecture is relatively simple. It is still, to a great extent, the mode of expression of our urban surroundings, since classical architecture was the common language of the western world till comparatively recent times. Anybody to whom architecture makes a strong appeal has probably already discovered something of its grammar for himself.

In this book, the author's purpose is to set out as simply and vividly as possible the exact grammatical workings of this architectural language. He is less concerned with its development in Greece and Rome than with its expansion and use in the centuries since the Renaissance. He explains the vigorous discipline of 'the orders' and the scope of 'rustication'; the dramatic deviations of the Baroque and, in the last chapter, the relationship between the classical tradition and the 'modern' architecture of today. The book is intended for anybody who cares for architecture but more specifically for students beginning a course in the history of architecture, to whom a guide to the classical rules will be an essential companion.

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press; 1 edition (December 15, 1966)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262690128
• ISBN-13: 978-0262690126
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #391,342 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is It: A Crash Course in Humanistic Design, August 29, 2006

By	J. Duncan Berry (Yarmouth Port, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the best way to learn about the classical sensibility in architecture -- as well as art and sculpture. Based on Summerson's radio lectures, this book has itself reached the status of being a classic! I assigned it for years, and students never failed to appreciate its brevity, insight and immediacy.

Very much worth the price of admission because it will forever open your eyes to the world of architectural forms and designs which refer to our common humanity. A necessary antidote to today's corrosive, diversity-oriented mentality.

20 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do you like looking at buildings?, February 21, 2001

By	neurotome "neurotome" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

I was introduced to this classic work in a course on Michelangelo by John Shearman at Harvard, and I'm writing this review because I'm convinced this book deserves wider distribution.

It's essentially an illustrated compilation of a series of lectures Summerson gave at university in England. The topic: the 'language' of architecture through the ages. Ever look at white marble columns, or that triangular thing over a window, and think how beautiful and elegant the display of forms was? Believe it or not, those styles are not created anew each time architects design a building! Rather, they draw on our rich common heritage - the 'classical language of architecture', first defined by Vasari in the 15th century (though in use since prehistoric times). That thing over the window is called a 'pediment', and columns can be Doric (stocky), Ionic (tall and graceful), or Corinthian (elaborated with flowery scroll-work at the top.) The triangular thing over a window is called a 'pediment'.

Intrigued? Want to know more about what the architects were thinking when they designed that building you're looking at? Buy this book, now!

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good and easy undertandable book!, April 11, 2000

By	Eirik Smidesang Slaaen (Norway) - See all my reviews

Being about such a vaste theme, this book easily tells the most important parts of the history of architecture. Not much jargong, and well written overall!