The fully expanded, updated, and freshly designed second edition of the most comprehensive and widely acclaimed guide to domestic architecture: in print since its original publication in 1984, and acknowledged everywhere as the unmatched, essential guide to American houses. This revised edition includes a section on neighborhoods; expanded and completely new categories of house styles with photos and descriptions of each; an appendix on "Approaches to Construction in the 20th and 21st Centuries"; an expanded bibliography; and 600 new photographs and line drawings. Read more

A “marvelous, authoritative, and entertaining” history of the storied castle in central London, and the people who populated it (Publishers Weekly). “A riveting, pacy, and vivid chronicle of the Tower’s turbulent past.” —Alison Weir, New York Times–bestselling author of The Lady ElizabethCastle, royal palace, prison, torture chamber, execution site, zoo, mint, home to the crown jewels, armory, record office, observatory, and the most visited tourist attraction in the UK: The Tower of London has been all these things and more. No building in Britain has been more intimately involved in the island’s story than this mighty, brooding stronghold in the very heart of the capital, a place which has stood at the epicenter of dramatic, bloody and frequently cruel events for almost a thousand years.In a gripping account drawn from primary sources and lavishly illustrated with eight pages of stunning photographs, historian Nigel Jones captures the Tower in its many changing moods and its many diverse functions. Incorporating a dazzling panoply of political and social detail, here, for the first time, is a thematic portrayal of the Tower of London not just as an ancient structure, but as a living symbol of the nation of Great Britain.“Heads roll throughout Jones' pages. . . . This is popular history well arranged and well written.” —Booklist“Historian and journalist Jones enlightens and delights in this history of the London Tower. A historian's history that deserves pride of place in every library.” —Kirkus Reviews Read more

Featuring new houses, many additional photographs and a new afterword, Fire Island Modernist offers a fascinating look at the history and culture of this "gay paradise" through the life and work of Horace GiffordAs the 1960s became the "Sixties," architect Horace Gifford executed a remarkable series of beach houses that transformed the terrain and culture of New York’s Fire Island. Growing up on the beaches of Florida, Gifford forged a deep connection with coastal landscapes. Pairing this sensitivity with jazzy improvisations on modernist themes, he perfected a sustainable modernism in cedar and glass that was as attuned to natural landscapes as to our animal natures. Gifford’s serene 1960s pavilions provided refuge from a hostile world, while his exuberant post-Stonewall, pre-AIDS masterpieces orchestrated bacchanals of liberation. Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift once spurned Hollywood limos for the rustic charm of Fire Island’s boardwalks. Truman Capote wrote Breakfast at Tiffany’s here. Diane von Fürstenberg showed off her latest wrap dresses to an audience that included Halston, Giorgio Sant’ Angelo, Calvin Klein and Geoffrey Beene. Today, such a roster evokes the aloof, gated compounds of the Hamptons or Malibu. But these celebrities lived in modestly scaled homes alongside middle-class vacationers, all with equal access to Fire Island’s natural beauty.Blending cultural and architectural history, Fire Island Modernist ponders a fascinating era through an overlooked architect whose life, work and colorful milieu trace the operatic arc of a lost generation, and still resonate with artistic and historical import. First published in 2013 and long out of print, this iconic book returns in an expanded edition, including five new featured houses, drawings of previously unseen homes, new photography, updated scholarship and a new afterword by Charles Renfro.This book was published in conjunction with Gordon De Vries Studio Read more

Art Deco Los Angles is a stunning photographic tour through one of the most glamourous architectural eras of the City of Angels. From the iconic Hollywood Bowl, where the world's biggest acts dazzle under the evening sky, to the majestic Wiltern Theater, a timeless beacon of architectural grandeur, each photograph encapsulates the essence of Art Deco glamour. With meticulous attention to detail and an artist's eye for composition, Robert Landau captures the essence of a golden age, inviting you to experience the magic of Art Deco Los Angeles like never before. Read more

The New York Times bestselling, award winning story of the construction of the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence and the Renaissance genius who reinvented architecture to build it.On August 19, 1418, a competition concerning Florence's magnificent new cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore was announced: "Whoever desires to make any model or design for the vaulting of the main Dome....shall do so before the end of the month of September." The proposed dome was regarded far and wide as all but impossible to build: not only would it be enormous, but its original and sacrosanct design shunned the flying buttresses that supported cathedrals all over Europe. The dome would literally need to be erected over thin air.Of the many plans submitted, one stood out--a daring and unorthodox solution to vaulting what is still the largest dome in the world. It was offered not by a master mason or carpenter, but by a goldsmith and clockmaker named Filippo Brunelleschi, then forty-one, who would dedicate the next twenty-eight years to solving the puzzles of the dome's construction. In the process, he reinvented the field of architecture.Brunelleschi's Dome is the story of how a Renaissance genius bent men, materials, and the very forces of nature to build an architectural wonder we continue to marvel at today. Award-winning, bestselling author Ross King weaves this drama amid a background of the plagues, wars, political feuds, and the intellectual ferments of Renaissance Florence to bring the dome's creation to life in a fifteenth-century chronicle with twenty-first-century resonance. Read more

Explore the world’s most incredible buildings, from the magnificent architecture of the ancient world to green buildings of the present day.Discover the beautiful details, principal elements, and decorative features of every architectural style, from the Great Pyramid of Giza, Machu Picchu, and the Colosseum to the Sydney Opera House, the Gherkin, and Burj Khalifa. Architecture offers a truly worldwide look at historical and contemporary buildings, with breathtaking photography and intriguing cross-sections to enhance your view. See how and why certain features were common in specific time periods and how these amazing buildings have stood the test of time.Unique specially-commissioned CGI artworks throughout the book showcase more than 10 specific buildings, including The Pantheon and the United States Capitol, giving you an pristine view of their features. Clear annotations of each artwork, along with exquisite photography of specific details, make sure that you don’t miss a thing.Presented in a special slipcase, this stunning guide makes the perfect purchase for anyone who is fascinated by our world’s most wondrous buildings. Read more

The life of Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926) was full of complexity and contradictions. As a young man he joined the Catalonian nationalist movement and was critical of the church; toward the end of his life he devoted himself completely to the construction of one single spectacular church, La Sagrada Família. In his youth, he courted a glamorous social life and the demeanor of a dandy. By the time of his death in a tram accident on the streets of Barcelona, his clothes were so shabby that passersby assumed he was a beggar.Gaudí’s incomparable architecture channels much of this multifaceted intricacy. From the shimmering surface textures and skeletal forms of Casa Batlló to the Hispano-Arabic matrix of Casa Vicens, his work merged the influences of Orientalism, natural forms, new materials, and religious faith into a unique Modernista aesthetic. Today, his buildings enjoy global popularity and acclaim; his magnum opus, the Sagrada Família, is the most-visited monument in Spain and seven of his works are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.Packed full of expert texts and hundreds of full-color illustrations, including new photography, this book presents Gaudí’s complete oeuvre. Like a personal tour through Barcelona, we explore his residential, religious, and public projects. We see how the “Dante of architecture” was a builder in the truest sense of the word, crafting extraordinary constructions out of minute and mesmerizing details, transforming fantastical visions into realities on the city streets. Read more

New historical contextBeautifully restored etchingsWith over 400 illustrations of Gothic and Romanesque cathedrals from the Middle Ages, this 1868 book represents more than 80 churches. Being the only version in print today, each page has been meticulously restored to reproduce the original work as accurately as possible.Written at the height of the English Gothic Revival period, King aims to represent the ancient edifices of the Middle Ages in a stunning collection of accurate and attractive drawings that any student around the world can study the ancient grandeur of the Medieval period. Read more

Travel through the history of architecture in The LEGO Architect. You’ll learn about styles like Art Deco, Modernism, and High-Tech, and find inspiration in galleries of LEGO models. Then take your turn building 12 models in a variety of styles. Snap together some bricks and learn architecture the fun way! Read more

In a fleeting fourteen year period, sandwiched between two world wars, Germany’s Bauhaus school of art and design changed the face of modernity. With utopian ideals for the future, the school developed a pioneering fusion of fine art, craftsmanship, and technology to be applied across painting, sculpture, design, architecture, film, photography, textiles, ceramics, theatre, and installation.As much an intense personal community as a publicly minded collective, the Bauhaus was first founded by Walter Gropius (1883–1969), and counted Josef and Anni Albers, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Oskar Schlemmer, Gunta Stölzl, Marianne Brandt and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe among its members. Between its three successive locations in Weimar, Dessau and Berlin, the school fostered charismatic and creative exchange between teachers and students, all varied in their artistic styles and preferences, but united in their idealism and their interest in a “total” work of art across different practices and media.This book celebrates the adventurous innovation of the Bauhaus movement, both as a trailblazer in the development of modernism, and as a paradigm of art education, where an all-encompassing freedom of creative expression and cutting-edge ideas led to functional and beautiful creations. Read more

WHAT IF EVERYTHING YOU’VE BEEN TOLD ABOUT HISTORY IS A LIE? 🏛️Entire cities with impossible architecture, technologies ahead of their time, and maps of a vanished empire.History says they never existed, but the evidence tells a different story.What was Tartaria, and why was it erased from the past?📜 Once you learn this, you’ll never look at history the same way again!Hidden beneath layers of forgotten history,erased from textbooks but never from curiosity, lies the enigma of Tartaria, an empire shrouded in mystery.This book isn’t just an introduction; it’s a key to a lost world, unveiling hidden truths,forgotten architecture, and theories that challenge everything we know.Inside, you’ll embark on a compelling journey through Tartaria’s secrets,designed for those seeking answers beyond the official narrative.Are you ready to discover:Forgotten Origins: Uncover how Tartaria, an empire once marked on ancient maps and described in early texts, vanished from the pages of official history.Timeless Architecture: Step into a world of monumental structures that defy explanation, built with precision and scale beyond the known capabilities of their time.Lost Technologies: Explore fascinating theories about free energy, advanced engineering, and forgotten innovations that challenge conventional history.The Erasure: Investigate the possible causes behind Tartaria’s disappearance and the idea of a worldwide suppression of its existence.Tartaria Today: Trace the hidden legacy of this lost empire in modern culture, from symbolic architecture to lingering myths and beliefs.Truth or Myth?: Examine the debates, the academic pushback, and the unanswered questions; then decide for yourself what really happened.AND SO MUCH MORE WAITING TO BE DISCOVERED.👁️They’ve hidden the truth long enough.The pieces are scattered, and this book begins to put them together.What you’ll uncover will change how you think about the past forever.ORDER NOW! Unlock the secrets of The Lost Empire of Tartaria. Read more

In a fleeting 14-year period between two world wars, Germany’s Bauhaus school of art and design changed the face of modernity. With utopian ideas for the future, the school developed a pioneering fusion of fine art, craftsmanship, and technology, which they applied across media and practices from film to theater, and sculpture to ceramics.This best-selling reference work is made in collaboration with the Bauhaus-Archiv/Museum für Gestaltung in Berlin, the world’s largest collection on the history of the Bauhaus. Some 575 illustrations including architectural plans, studies, photographs, sketches, and models record not only the realized works but also the leading principles and personalities of this idealistic creative community through its three successive locations in Weimar, Dessau, and Berlin. From informal shots of group gymnastics to drawings guided by Paul Klee, from extensive architectural plans to an infinitely sleek ashtray by Marianne Brandt, the collection brims with the colors, materials, and geometries that made up the Bauhaus vision of a “total” work of art.This is a defining account of Bauhaus' energy and rigor, not only as a trailblazing movement in Modernism but also as a paradigm of art education, where creative expression and cutting-edge ideas led to simultaneously functional and beautiful creations. The handy edition features artists Josef Albers, Marianne Brandt, Walter Gropius, Gertrud Grunow, Paul Klee, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Lilly Reich, and many more. Read more

How an engineering crisis threatened a career, a building, and the lives of countless New YorkersThe Citicorp Center, a fifty-nine-story skyscraper built in 1977, immediately became one of the most recognizable features on the New York City skyline with its distinctive inclined roof and oddly placed support columns. Designed by one of the top structural engineers in the field, William LeMessurier, the tower would become the crown jewel of his professional career; In essence, he created a skyscraper on stilts. The building was a modern marvel – until it was revealed that it had a 1 in 16 chance of collapse.The Great Miscalculation tells the riveting story of LeMessurier’s discovery of a fatal flaw in his building’s design and his decision to blow the whistle on himself, putting his reputation on the line in a race to save this iconic skyscraper. With hurricane season rapidly approaching, the structural design flaws of the Citicorp Tower posed a menacing danger. Meanwhile, the economic hardships and political turmoil of 1970s New York only compounded the obstacles to a massively expensive, never-before-seen structural redesign in the heart of downtown Manhattan.A fascinating piece of overlooked New York City history, The Great Miscalculation tells the gripping narrative of a catastrophe averted in the nick of time. Read more

Longlisted for the Porchlight Business Book Awards “A smart and accessible cultural history.”-Los Angeles TimesA portrait--by turns celebratory, skeptical, and surprisingly moving--of one of America's most iconic institutions, from an author who “might be the most influential design critic writing now” (LARB).Few places have been as nostalgized, or as maligned, as malls. Since their birth in the 1950s, they have loomed large as temples of commerce, the agora of the suburbs. In their prime, they proved a powerful draw for creative thinkers such as Joan Didion, Ray Bradbury, and George Romero, who understood the mall's appeal as both critics and consumers. Yet today, amid the aftershocks of financial crises and a global pandemic, as well as the rise of online retail, the dystopian husk of an abandoned shopping center has become one of our era's defining images. Conventional wisdom holds that the mall is dead. But what was the mall, really? And have rumors of its demise been greatly exaggerated?In her acclaimed The Design of Childhood, Alexandra Lange uncovered the histories of toys, classrooms, and playgrounds. She now turns her sharp eye to another subject we only think we know. She chronicles postwar architects' and merchants' invention of the mall, revealing how the design of these marketplaces played an integral role in their cultural ascent. In Lange's perceptive account, the mall becomes newly strange and rich with contradiction: Malls are environments of both freedom and exclusion--of consumerism, but also of community. Meet Me by the Fountain is a highly entertaining and evocative promenade through the mall's rise, fall, and ongoing reinvention, for readers of any generation. Read more

"The beauty and levity that Perry and Gabriele have captured in this book are what I think will help it to become a standard text for general audiences for years to come….The Bright Ages is a rare thing—a nuanced historical work that almost anyone can enjoy reading.”—Slate"Incandescent and ultimately intoxicating." —The Boston GlobeA lively and magisterial popular history that refutes common misperceptions of the European Middle Ages, showing the beauty and communion that flourished alongside the dark brutality—a brilliant reflection of humanity itself.The word “medieval” conjures images of the “Dark Ages”—centuries of ignorance, superstition, stasis, savagery, and poor hygiene. But the myth of darkness obscures the truth; this was a remarkable period in human history. The Bright Ages recasts the European Middle Ages for what it was, capturing this 1,000-year era in all its complexity and fundamental humanity, bringing to light both its beauty and its horrors. The Bright Ages takes us through ten centuries and crisscrosses Europe and the Mediterranean, Asia and Africa, revisiting familiar people and events with new light cast upon them. We look with fresh eyes on the Fall of Rome, Charlemagne, the Vikings, the Crusades, and the Black Death, but also to the multi-religious experience of Iberia, the rise of Byzantium, and the genius of Hildegard and the power of queens. We begin under a blanket of golden stars constructed by an empress with Germanic, Roman, Spanish, Byzantine, and Christian bloodlines and end nearly 1,000 years later with the poet Dante—inspired by that same twinkling celestial canopy—writing an epic saga of heaven and hell that endures as a masterpiece of literature today.  The Bright Ages reminds us just how permeable our manmade borders have always been and of what possible worlds the past has always made available to us. The Middle Ages may have been a world “lit only by fire” but it was one whose torches illuminated the magnificent rose windows of cathedrals, even as they stoked the pyres of accused heretics.  The Bright Ages contains an 8-page color insert. Read more

The Abacus Edition of The Georgian Period: A Collection of Papers Dealing with “Colonial” or XVIII-Century Architecture in the United States reintroduces a seminal work devoted to preserving and understanding America’s architectural roots. Originally compiled in the late 19th century, this meticulously curated series documents the architectural styles, details, and cultural significance of colonial-era buildings, ensuring that their memory endures in a rapidly modernizing world.Volume I initiates the journey by concentrating on the architectural heritage of New England and the Mid-Atlantic regions. Within its pages, readers will find measured drawings, essays, and illustrations of defining structures from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. From the storied Royall Mansion in Medford and the Fairbanks House in Dedham—among the oldest timber-frame residences in North America—to the iconic public buildings like Boston’s Old State House and Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, this volume captures the civic and domestic heart of early American life. Historic churches, including Christ Church in Philadelphia and St. Paul’s Chapel in New York, further illuminate the spiritual and community dimensions of the period.With each detailed mantel, doorway, and staircase, Volume I reveals the craftsmanship, aesthetic sensibilities, and regional character that collectively shaped the nation’s colonial legacy. As the first installment in this revived three-volume series, Volume I sets the stage for a comprehensive exploration of America’s Georgian period, inspiring architects, historians, and enthusiasts alike to rediscover—and reimagine—the architectural treasures of the past. Read more

This book could very well be the greatest revisionist history book ever written in modern times to date about the Greatest Lie about our common world history. The Tartary civilization encompassed most of the World we know today. From Russia to China to Africa to India to Australia and New Zealand to the North and South America’s. There have been swept from modern his-story books and were likely destroyed in the 19th-20th centuries along with many of their amazing buildings. There are numerous documents proving that there were also Giants amongst them. The people of Tartary were destroyed by the same advanced technology that controls our weather were flooded, fire bombed, earthquaked and likely had directed energy weapons (DEW) used against them and many of their bones are buried under our cities today. Their “Old Word Order” was a benevolent society where they used sacred geometrical designs, pipe organs and catillion bells to help and to heal and to achieve higher consciousness. All of the architecture and technology we know of today was developed by the Tartar’s. The 18th and 19th centuries were final book burning and removal from historical knowledge of this once great civilization that flourished up until just 100 years ago. Read more

Featuring striking photography by an expert in the field, this exploration of Japanese Brutalist architecture celebrates the surprising beauty and grace of buildings forged in concrete.Emerging in the devastating aftermath of World War II, Brutalist architecture in Japan is characterized by its geometric shapes, functionality, and unconventional use of concrete—which is often left unfinished to showcase the material’s inherent textures and imperfections.Japanese Brutalism represented a radical departure from traditional Japanese architecture, drawing inspiration from the global Brutalist movement but incorporating unique elements that reflect Japan’s culture and history. A leading expert on Japanese Brutalism, Paul Tulett has traveled throughout the country to photograph extraordinary examples of this aesthetic. In over 200 dynamic and impeccable photographs he captures the elements and paradoxes inherent in the buildings themselves: the rawness of concrete juxtaposed with elegant design; a harmonious integration into urban landscapes; and a global, modernist approach that maintains traditional Japanese elements.Highlighting the work of architects such as Kenzo Tange, Tadao Ando, and Arata Isozaki, this unique volume shows how a blend of global influences and Japanese sensibilities has left an indelible mark on the architectural landscape of Japan, making Japanese Brutalism an intensely captivating and enduring style. Read more

A hand-drawn guide to architectural styles throughout historyArchitectural Styles is an incomparable guide to architectural styles across the centuries and around the world. Modeled after an architect's plein air sketchbook, the volume features hundreds of detailed drawings by esteemed architectural illustrator Robbie Polley alongside incisive and informative descriptions. This unique guidebook takes readers from Europe and the Americas to Egypt, China, and India. It covers a host of historical and contemporary architectural styles, from ancient and classical to Pre-Columbian, Romanesque, Renaissance, Palladian, art nouveau, Brutalist, and biomorphic. It describes the histories and characteristics of the building traditions of each era and region of the world, and looks at key architectural elements such as buttresses, spandrels, curtain walls, and oculi. The book also includes a section on building parts―from domes and columns to towers, arches, roofs, and vaulting―along with a detailed glossary and bibliography.Comprehensive and authoritative, Architectural Styles is an essential resource for architects and designers and a must-have illustrated guide for anyone interested in architecture or drawing. Read more

A “thrilling” (Financial Times) fly-on-the-wall account of the ferocious ambition, greed, and one-upmanship behind the most expensive real estate in the world: the new Manhattan megatowers known as Billionaires’ Row—from a staff reporter at The Wall Street Journal“Deeply informative, delightfully entertaining, and addictively readable.”—Diana B. Henriques, bestselling author of The Wizard of LiesA CEO Magazine Best Book of the Year • Longlisted for the Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year AwardTo look south and skyward from Central Park these days is to gaze upon a physical manifestation of tens of billions of dollars in global wealth: a series of soaring spires stretching from Park Avenue to Broadway. Known as Billionaires’ Row, this set of slender high-rise residences has transformed the skyline of New York City, thanks to developer-friendly policies and a seemingly endless gush of cash from tech, finance, and foreign oligarchs. And chances are most of us will never be invited to step inside.In Billionaires’ Row, Katherine Clarke reveals the captivating story of how, in just a few years, the ruthless real-estate impresarios behind these “supertalls” lining 57th Street turned what was once a run-down strip of Midtown into the most exclusive street on Earth, as legendary Trump-era veterans went toe-to-toe with hungry upstart developers in an ego-fueled “race to the sky.” Based on far-reaching access to real estate’s power players, Clarke’s account brings readers inside one of the world’s most cutthroat industries, showing how a combination of ferocious ambition and relentless salesmanship has created a new market of $100 million apartments for the world’s one-percenters—units to live in or, sometimes, just places to stash their cash.Filled with eye-popping stories that bring the new era of extreme wealth inequality into vivid relief, Billionaires’ Row is a juicy, gimlet-eyed account of the genius, greed, and financial one-upmanship behind the most expensive real estate in the world—a stranger-than-fiction saga of broken partnerships, broken marriages, lawsuits, and, for a few, fleeting triumph. Read more