Customer Reviews

A History of American Architecture: Buildings in Their Cultural and Technological Context

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I picked up this book at the library as a refresher on history while studying for the Architect's Registration Exam. It covers so much European architecture too that it exceeded my expectations. Much easier to read over a few days than the usual textbooks like Trachtenberg's, and I'm doing very well on history-related practice questions now. The choices of buildings covered in this book are great and there are city plans and floor plans. Starting each chapter with an analysis of the culture and philosophy of the era made me really understand how architectural styles developed and keeps everything in order in my memory.

This is easy reading with appropos illustrations. Just the right amount of detail for the traveller who is interested in architecture.

I found Mr. Gelernter's book in the public library as I was researching a project. After reading it, I thought it was so useful that I decided to buy it for my own library.

Many art and architecture books are just recitations of dry facts, dates and theories, with no historical or sociological context. Not so Gelernter's "A History of American Architecture."

The correlation of buildings with their context, and the inclusion of early Native American architecture, make this a thought provoking introduction to the history of architecture in America.