A History of Architecture: Settings and Rituals (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Gregory Castillo (Editor), Richard Tobias (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Very useful!"--Mosette G. Broderich, New York University
"[Kostof's] challenging text is ultimately inspiring, richly rewarding, and at times brilliant."--School Library Journal

Product Description

When the late Spiro Kostof's A History of Architecture appeared in 1985, it was universally hailed as a masterpiece--one of the finest books on architecture ever written. The New York Times Book Review, in a front cover review, called it "a magnificent guided tour through mankind's architecture," and The San Francisco Chronicle wrote that "Kostof...has enthralled a generation of students.... Now he has done the same thing for the public at large, in an extraordinary book that is a new kind of architectural history."

This magisterial work has now been revised and expanded by Greg Castillo, Kostof's colleague and literary executor. Insightful, engagingly written, and graced with almost a thousand superb illustrations, the Second Edition of this classic volume offers a sweeping narrative that examines architecture as it reflects the social, economic, and technological systems of human history. The scope of the book is astonishing. No mere survey of famous buildings, Kostof's History examines a surprisingly wide variety of manmade structures: prehistoric huts and the TVA, the pyramids at Giza and the Rome railway station, the ziggurat and the department store. Indeed, Kostof considered every building worthy of attention, every structure or shelter a potential source of insight, whether it be the prehistoric hunting camps at Terra Amata, or the caves at Lascaux with their magnificent paintings, or a twenty-story hotel on the Las Vegas strip. The Second Edition features a new concluding chapter, "Designing the Fin de Siecle," based on Kostof's last lecture notes and prepared by Castillo, as well as an all-new 16-page color section. Many of the original line drawings by Richard Tobias, as well as some 50 photographs, have also been updated or replaced, for improved clarity.

Visually and intellectually stimulating, this book is at once a compelling history and an indispensable reference on all aspects of our built environment. It achieves for architecture what Janson's history accomplished for visual art.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 792 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; Revised edition (May 4, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195083784
• ISBN-13: 978-0195083781
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #404,104 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Every architectural library should have htis book., October 12, 1998

By A Customer

This is an excellent, reader friendly book. It is standard for many architectural school history courses. The profuse illustrations and photographs are first rate.

Anyone who has an interest in world architecture shoul have this book as a basic part of thier library.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best, August 7, 2000

By	ARCHITECT "Architect314" (USA) - See all my reviews

One of the best architectural histories ever, written by one of the most respected historians. Spiro Kostof was a Professor in the School of Architecture at UC Berkeley, and was much-admired by students and colleagues. This book is required reading in many schools of architecture.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, February 15, 2007

By	James Singer - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Covers all the major styles and period the Western tradition of architecture. It does one chapter on Asian architecture but no single chapter can cover all the styles and history of the Asian countries of India, China, Japan, etc. It will be great for any aspiring architect who wants to have a good foundation...or to anyone who wants to appreciate the history of spatial design, and decoratives more.