Skyscrapers: A History of the World's Most Extraordinary Buildings [Hardcover]

Judith Dupre (Author), Adrian Smith (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008

At a stunning 18 inches tall and celebrating all of today's most significant superstructures, this all-new edition of Skyscrapers features 15 exciting new buildings and a brand-new interview with Adrian Smith, the world's foremost architect of supertall buildings.

Retaining all of the qualities that made it a major bestseller—informative commentary, historic facts and architectural information, and glorious photography— this groundbreaking, shelf-scraping international bestseller is a Skyscrapers for the new millennium.

Unique in scale and design, the book has been expanded to 160 pages and features more than 60 buildings by such well-known architects as Santiago Calatrava, Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid, Philip Johnson, Morphosis, Jean Nouvel, Renzo Piano, Cesar Pelli, and Frank Lloyd Wright. Arranged chronologically, it includes features on such topics as the ancient roots of skyscrapers and visionary cities of the future-as well as a fascinating interview with Adrian Smith, designer of the Burj Dubai, the tallest structure in the world. Each informative spread includes photos, plans, diagrams, background, technological information, and more, all in an elegant design.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An eye-popping shelf-scraper...an elevating experience." (Gene Shalit, Today )

From the Inside Flap

Rising majestically above the hubbub of crowded cities or standing in solitude against a natural backdrop, skyscrapers captivate the eye, excite the imagination, and inspire awe. Wonders of creativity and ingenuity, they embody the best of our practical achievements and reflect our highest aspirations.

This magnificent chronological tour of the world’s tallest buildings—thoroughly revised and updated since its initial publication, and featuring cutting edge work by today’s international superstars of architecture—stands as the most thorough, authoritative, and eye-popping book on the subject, as dramatic in presentation as the structures it celebrates. Breathtaking photographs capture the buildings’ details as well as their monumental scale; architectural drawings and plans invite you behind the scenes as new buildings take shape; and lively commentary on each building explores its particular significance and provides historic context. Throughout, informative profiles, features, and statistics make Skyscrapers an invaluable reference as well as a visual feast.

From a church built to the glory of God to monuments that symbolize national or civic pride, to buildings so forward thinking that they contribute to the betterment of the environment, the 62 structures included here encompass the very best and most ingenious of our history, spanning some 125 years and circling the globe. The 15 astonishing “supertalls” that have been added to this edition represent flights of imagination and feats of engineering that the skyscraper’s earliest pioneers could never have dreamed of.

“To say that the megatall landscape has changed since this book was first published in 1996 is an understatement,” comments the author in her forward. “We are in the midst of a new skyscraper boom…Skyscraper design, now embraced by the global community, has entered a flamboyant, no-holds-barred era of exhilarating, highly personal exploration of the extreme frontiers of structural and creative possibility.”

Every civilization has expressed in buildings both sacred and secular the eternal quest to reach ever upward toward the sky. Skyscrapers invites you to relish in the stunning works born of that quest.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers; 2nd edition (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579127878
• ISBN-13: 978-1579127879
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 0.8 x 18.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #310,048 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Judith Dupré has written several works of illustrated nonfiction that have been translated into ten languages, including Churches (2001), a New York Times bestseller. She is also the author of several titles for young adults and children. Her newest book, Full of Grace: Encountering Mary in Faith, Art & Life, offers a twist on this popular subject, taking the reader inside the Virgin Mary's world in ancient Palestine and showing, equally, how thoroughly she inhabits our own, 21st-century experiences. A Rhode Island native, Judith studied art and literature at Brown University. Currently, she is at Yale University doing advanced studies on the ways time, memory, and beauty lend meaning to life.

Also visit: www.judithdupre.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of the Lot, November 12, 2008

By 

M. Gerometta - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Skyscrapers: A History of the World's Most Extraordinary Buildings (Hardcover)

This is an updated version of Judith Dupre's masterpiece published in 1996. In the last 15 years the world has seen a skyscraper boom like nothing before in history. There have been dozens of "coffee table" books about tall buildings published during this period, but none have captured the passion for architecture and engineering like this series. I am happy to see this latest edition which features about 15 new buildings along with updated photos and information on the buildings featured in the first edition.

The book features a great mixture of some of the most famous skyscrapers, current projects and a few proposals presented in the same "tall" format. With current technology and structural materials, we are able to design unusually shaped buildings and go higher than ever, along with keeping in tune with nature. The highlight of the new edition is Burj Dubai, the tallest structure ever built by man, which is still under construction. When completed, it will be approximately the height of 2 Empire State Buildings!

Also check out "Bridges", "Churches" and "Monuments" by this author, all presented in an innovative format just as "Skyscrapers" has achieved.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars always a step higher, December 18, 2008

By 

Vagnini Marco (Roma, Italy) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Skyscrapers: A History of the World's Most Extraordinary Buildings (Hardcover)

This new edition of "Skyscrapers" is even more astonishing than the first one! New pictures, new buildings (and some additional classic ones too). This is a "must have" for the bookshelf of people interested in architecture, design, engineering, and graphic design (the lay-out is well tuned to the book's content). Don't forget to see Bridges by the same author, obviously, it is a very lonnnnnnng book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reach for the sky, March 26, 2011

By 

Fiona Lowther "book lover" (Detroit, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Skyscrapers: A History of the World's Most Extraordinary Buildings (Hardcover)

This is a fascinating volume that will be of interest to architecture fans, travelers, engineers,future historians, and stay-at-homes who like to see pictures of far-away places.
The volume is tall and skinny, like the buildings it pictures. A great gift, a great coffee table book, a book to return to again and again.