A Global History of Architecture (Hardcover)

by Francis D. Ching (Author), Mark M. Jarzombek (Author), Vikramaditya Prakash (Author)
Key Phrases: caitya hall, first emperor, Chavín de Huántar, South Asia, East Asia, West Asia (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Unabashedly huge in its proportions, this book differs from the standard architecture survey in that it doesn't approach the topic from a Western perspective, but rather, as the title indicates, through a global lens. This bodes well for its success as a textbook, but will also please the casual reader. Chronologically organized, the work spans the globe within each time period, occasionally taking time to discuss certain styles and major historical periods, but devoting most of its space to specific architectural works. This chronological organization keeps the book from feeling divided geographically, and maintains a diverse view without manic overextension-a look at the palace at New Delhi is followed by Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund, which is followed by the Hollyhock House in Los Angeles. Throughout, the authors make connections that have rarely been explored ("An important influence on European architecture in the west came from the direction of Armenia"). The book disseminates textbook amounts of need-to-know information, but it does so clearly-more like a down-to-earth conversation than a grad-school dissertation. A practicing architect and two academics, respectively, Ching, Jarzombek and Prakash aren't afraid to get into the meaning and emotion behind the architecture, addressing its passionate, intangible aspects, as in their discussion of irony's place in postmodern design. That personal and phenomenological angle, along with the book's giant scope, makes it a strong addition to the field, an example of successfully going macro without getting muddled. 1000 b & w photos, 50 color photos, 1500 b & w illustrations.
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Review
"…the work offers a fresh and engaging outlook for an architectural history survey course. It affords the student an opportunity to view architecture differently and make connections that might not otherwise be apparent." (American Reference Books Annual, 2008)

"…it constitutes a wonderful and interesting read in its own right, and because of its exceptionally wide perspective, even architectural historians who do not teach general survey courses are likely to enjoy and appreciate it." (Annali d'architecthura, 2008)

"Not only does A Global History of Architecture own the territory [of world architecture], it pulls off this audacious task with panache, intelligence and -- for the most part -- grace. The slices of time in A Global History provide a richer learning experience for an introductory course." (Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, 2008)

"The book's most informative and attractive feature is its illustrations, hundreds of drawings by Ching, a noted author and architectural illustrator." (Choice, March 2007)

A decade after the 100th anniversary of Banister Fletcher's venerable and indispensable A History of Architecture (20th ed.) comes this fresh, one-volume historical encyclopedia of world architecture. Ching (architecture, Univ. of Washington; Architecture: Form, Space, and Order), Mark M. Jarzombek (architecture & art, MIT), and Vikramaditya Prakash (architecture, Univ. of Washington) recast the story of the last 5000 years of building into a simple but brilliantly workable chronological schema of "timecuts," flexible time spans growing shorter and denser as we reach the present. These timecuts succeed in facilitating cross-cultural analysis and minimizing Eurocentric bias. Best of all, they prevent yet another rehash of architectural history as a monotonous procession of endless and unconnected styles, periods, and places. Thus, the Forbidden City, Topkapi Palace, and Villa Medici are viewed as phenomena interdependent upon international trade routes and as outgrowths of an emergent "global urbanism." Fifteenhundred elegant and superbly legible hand drawings by Ching, along with 1000 photographs and maps, illustrate a lucid and engaging text. Something of a hybrid, this is as much a solid reference resource as a revisionist textbook. Essential for most collections.
—David Soltész, Cuyahoga Cty. P.L., Parma, OH (Library Journal, October 15, 2006)

"…a unique and ambitious undertaking…" (The London Review of Books, November 2006)

"Extremely informative, it will no doubt become a standard reference book."  (The Herald {Glasgow}, Saturday 15th December 2007)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 816 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (August 18, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471268925
• ISBN-13: 978-0471268925
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #35,620 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars long over-due summary of global architecture: a must buy , October 26, 2006

By	Michelle Drum - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a sorely needed alternative to current textbooks. It is written in crisp and unsentimental style that conveys big themes but with an attention to details. The book is organized as a series of timelines beginning with 3500 BC and ending with a chapter on recent architecture. But instead of each chapter beginning at the same place in the world, each chapter begins somewhere differently.3500 BCE starts in China, 25 BCE in India, 1500 BCE in Egypt and 800 BCE with the Olmecs in Mexico. This constant turning and spinning of the globe is, in my view, quite exiting, as it gets students to learn how to be comparative in their thinking and simultaneously mobile in their intellectual understanding of history. Each chapter is introduced by a one page "take" on the architecture of each time section. These introductions, which serve as a text with a text, point out the themes of each chapter. Naturally in a work like this, one can talk about what is and is not included, but one has to give credit to the fact that book provokes that type of question in a positive way.

A fascinating argument that the authors make is that from early on architecture was changing and adapting, and, in essence, `modern.' In other words, it is not that WE are modern and everything before us was linear and stable. The book in that sense not only wants us to get a sense of the global horizon of architecture, but also a sense that architecture is very much IN history, reflecting in very real and dramatic way the changes that take place not only in technology and economy, but also in religion and power, those being four identifiable subtexts of the author's approach to the material.

I especially liked the chapter 1600 and its companion chapter "Architecture of Eurasian Power Block" which starts in Japan and works its way through Eurasia to England, not once but twice to emphasize the significance worldwide of the period 1500 to 1700 in the history of architecture. The drawings, sections, plans and photos work well with a text that is as densely packaged as this. And finally, it is worth noting that the book also serves to give the students fundamentals in the various global architectural vocabularies, Greek, Chinese, Hindu

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ka Ching!, August 24, 2006

By	N. Dilworth "Ching Fan" (Sandpoint, Idaho USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I pre-ordered Ching's new book months ago based just on his outstanding work in his previous books. I wasn't disapponted. The timeline organization gives a much-needed new comparative perspective on architecture around the globe and across time. Ching's illustrations and choice of photos are just enough to illustrate the excellent text. This is yet another example of Ching's talent as an architectural illustrator and teacher of arxchitecture.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful New Textbook on Global Architecture, May 19, 2007

By	N. Allyn - See all my reviews

At first I thought the book would be too dry and encyclopedia like, but when I started reading the chapters, I was taken by the text. It moved along nicely, and though there is a lot of information, it is presented in a way that makes sense, and in a way that helps one navigate through the `big pictures' of history. The maps are nice but they sometimes could have more information on them. The book is a challenge to those who think linearly or for those who think that the history of architecture "begins" with the Egyptians and Greeks and then "ends" in US postmodernism; the purpose of the book is to keep the globe turning. Sometimes the authors go east to west and sometimes west to east. It takes a little getting used to, but I think people will appreciate the idea that history is a moving target. It makes for some interesting contrasts. Each chapter has its own particular logic, however, and tries to emphasize a particular theme, having to do with religion or politics. On page 511, there is an imaginary architecture tour that begins in Japan and ends in England; it was an eye opener for me. At that particular time, as the authors point out, though Europe was in the middle of the Renaissance, there was a lot of good stuff also happening in China, India, and Turkey, that cannot be simply ignored as part of some `other' tradition.' It was all interconnected. I also discovered the free Google Earth download from Wiley Press web site where all the buildings in the book are flagged! That has been a great help in lectures.