Mister3d Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 (edited) Hello. I'm looking for a good introductory source for the history of architecture. This means I can't for now devote myself into 10-volume resources, and need perhaps 1-2 books. If you know any digital sources, then I would love to hear about them too (though I doubt this topic is too popular among people watching training dvds). I started studying the history of arts, and it helps very much, and also bought Francis Ching "architecture: form, space and composition", which is a great book, but is aimed towards those who are already familiar with history of arts and architecture. Edited March 13, 2011 by Mister3d Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sketchrender Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 http://www.amazon.com/Banister-Fletchers-History-Architecture-Twentieth/dp/0750622679 This is the only one we ever used in college but that was good while ago and I studied technology. Expensive.............but a fantastic book. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister3d Posted March 13, 2011 Author Share Posted March 13, 2011 http://www.amazon.com/Banister-Fletchers-History-Architecture-Twentieth/dp/0750622679 This is the only one we ever used in college but that was good while ago and I studied technology. Expensive.............but a fantastic book. Phil Thank you Philip. Damn, at amazon you can't preview much, only glossary. Does it have good images, in color, or mainly schematic ones? What is the relation of text to images? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcupp Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 This is the one that I refer to a lot. http://www.amazon.com/Architecture-Prehistory-Postmodernity-Reprint-2nd/dp/0131830651/ref=pd_sim_b_5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJLynn Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 Yeah, Trachtenberg is a big one. So is Kostof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Homeless Guy Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I think it was Kostof that was required for my several of me Arch History classes and at least one of my Art History classes. But that was several years ago, and I can't say that I have seen it recently. It should be less expensive than some of the others listed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister3d Posted March 14, 2011 Author Share Posted March 14, 2011 Thank you for suggestions. I will look into them before purchasing. It's definitely not an easy choice, but I think any of those are good. I will need to check the coverage of topics in all of them and compare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter M. Gruhn Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Used Trachtenberg at the BAC. The History A teacher wouldn't let a lecture go by w/o dissing it. Don't remember the substance of the disses. But then, I wouldn't let a lecture go by w/o dissing her. So maybe that's a sign? I don't recall being impressed by the book. Kostof is the classic. Ching and somebody have a history text out which tries to do a "this is the whole world at this time" picture. That's cool. But I find it short on the meaty bits. "History of Architecture: From Stonehenge to Skyscrapers" is nice, but I've had a couple classes with Dora and like her so I'm biased. Sorry to be so specific. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter M. Gruhn Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Let me say a few words in favour of picture books. A fun introduction to the high points without pages and pages of analysis. I still go back to them for a boost. http://www.amazon.com/Architecture-Buildings-Architects-EYEWITNESS-COMPANION/dp/0756617324/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300154667&sr=8-1 Like an Eyewitness travel guide, but without the restaurant recommendations. Lots of pictures. Enough coverage of the what and why of things to get a picture, see the progression and lead into deeper discussion. http://www.amazon.com/1000-YEARS-WORLD-ARCHITECTURE-ILLUSTRATED/dp/0500342296/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300154735&sr=1-2 Roughly the same as the above. I wouldn't have picked it up "oh, another archie picture book with pictures of the same buildings and the same shallow trite elaboration of the underpinning socio-economic-philosophical underpinnings of the same styles* yaaawwwwn. But it has a picture of http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w4ifTToAw5Q/TFcyeD9klYI/AAAAAAAACsM/WEn2Mp3zQEs/s1600/villa.jpg. I'd never seen roof brackets made out of lobsters before. Indeed, the book isn't just the usual suspects. Many of the extras are familiar, but come to the fore more strongly than they did in the 2" black and white picture on page 237 of most books. I think the Eyewitness book had me disagreeing with it on some points. Perhaps even points of fact. Forget. But architecture in general and architectural historians in particular seems to allow for a large amount of faking it. Educate yourself. * Breaking the history into canned styles is a particular hazzard of the populist books but hardly more so than the academics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister3d Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 Used Trachtenberg at the BAC. The History A teacher wouldn't let a lecture go by w/o dissing it. Don't remember the substance of the disses. But then, I wouldn't let a lecture go by w/o dissing her. So maybe that's a sign? I don't recall being impressed by the book. Kostof is the classic. Ching and somebody have a history text out which tries to do a "this is the whole world at this time" picture. That's cool. But I find it short on the meaty bits. "History of Architecture: From Stonehenge to Skyscrapers" is nice, but I've had a couple classes with Dora and like her so I'm biased. Sorry to be so specific. So, I'm not sure, which single book would you choose? * Breaking the history into canned styles is a particular hazzard of the populist books but hardly more so than the academics. Yes, I agree with you. It's all a bit more complex than that. Thank you both for your help and spent time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter M. Gruhn Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I would not choose a single book. For you I would choose your checking out the suggestions to see which looks likely to suit your needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJLynn Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I'd say Kostof, except that the newest edition is 1995 and though he does devote some space to Postmodernism through the late 80's, his heart's not in it. But Trachtenberg and Fazio aren't really any better. Nobody who's good at writing about old stuff is good at writing about new stuff, and vice versa. And there's no definitive history of the new stuff, because we haven't got it figured out yet So I'd get Kostof, and something like "Building the New Millennium" from Phaidon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister3d Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 Thank you for your help. I was a bit too tired to reply (constant working). I think Kostof will be my first book. I attended a lecture about the history of architecture, and it seems worth of it. It gives you an outlook which not a book could give, with all those little facts the lecturer tells you. Though it takes me 2 hours there and back, I think I will attend the whole half a year course later this year. A book is just a companion it seems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter M. Gruhn Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 I just read a bit of Trachtenberg for a paper. I thought it was insightful stuff. The caveat might be that I was reading about Modernism and so maybe all the Old Stuff coverage could be weak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister3d Posted August 18, 2011 Author Share Posted August 18, 2011 Hi guys. There are 2 Kostof's books I see http://www.amazon.com/History-Architecture-Settings-Rituals/dp/0195083792/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313641072&sr=1-1 http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000OK6GR2/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&qid=1313639604&sr=1-5&condition=used Are those the same but of different time publishing? Thank you. All your suggestions were very useful by the way! Amazing books are those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter M. Gruhn Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 > Kostof Yeah, I think those are just 1 and 2 edition. The one with the columns looks real familiar but it has been twenty five years ;-). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter M. Gruhn Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Hey, "old stuff" and "new stuff" is exactly how I divide it up. Do I know you AJ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJLynn Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 Hey Peter. Um, probably not... unless you go to the user group at Neoscape? (Not that I've been there much lately.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter M. Gruhn Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 I keep trying but they keep happening on nights I have class or something stupid and can't go. I'll make it yet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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