Product Description

A specially photographed survey of the most important architectural achievements from the past 2000 years.

This majestic survey of the greatest buildings from around the globe includes both the acknowledged stars—the Pantheon, Hagia Sophia, Gothic and Renaissance cathedrals, masterpieces of Islamic architecture at Isfahan and Samarkand, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, and the Sydney Opera House—and the unfamiliar and unexpected: the Hindu temple of Prambanan in Java, the French pilgrimage church of Sainte-Foy at Conques, and Santa Maria della Consolazione in Todi, Italy.

More than one hundred magnificent buildings are included, over fifty of which are featured in highly detailed photo essays. Will Pryce's accompanying texts and commentaries provide an extra dimension of understanding for the contexts in which they were created, and of the evolution of architectural history.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #78506 in Books
• Published on: 2008-11-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

About the Author
Will Pryce is an award-winning photographer who originally trained as an architect at Cambridge University and the Royal College of Art, London. His most recent books are Big Shed, and, with James W. P. Campbell, the widely acclaimed Brick: A World History.

Customer Reviews

An Interest and Love of Architecture
Will Pryce (Brick: A World History) has collected more than 80 buildings that represent the pinnacle of architectural design. Some of them show up on any given list of classic design--the Pantheon, the Hagia Sophia, and the great cathedrals of Europe--also go into the new or smaller projects--the Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and Le Corbusier's chapel at Ronchamp. More than half the buildings have detailed photo essays documenting the many aspects of the design. Pryce's comments on the buildings reflect his interest and love of architecture, and provide context to the history of each. People will probably nitpick some of Pryce's selections, but with millennia of choices, and only picking 80 to highlight, this is an excellent survey of Eastern and Western architecture. The book and reproductions are excellent, the hundreds of photographs stunning. A thoroughly wonderful book of architecture and what the visions of men can produce.