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A Global History of Architecture | 
 enlarge | Authors: Francis D. K. Ching, Mark M. Jarzombek, Vikramaditya Prakash
Publisher: Wiley
Category: Book
List Price: $75.00
Buy New: $43.31
You Save: $31.69 (42%)
New (39) Used (30) from $39.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 4976
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 816
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4.8
Dimensions (in): 11.1 x 8.5 x 1.6
ISBN: 0471268925
Dewey Decimal Number: 720.9
EAN: 9780471268925
ASIN: 0471268925
Publication Date: August 18, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW
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Product Description
From ancient Chinese civilization to the postmodern world
Organized along a global timeline, A Global History of Architecture presents an innovative approach to the study of architectural history. Spanning from 3,500 B.C.E. to the present, this unique guide is written by an all-star team of architectural experts in their fields who emphasize the connections, contrasts, and influences of architectural movements throughout history. The architectural history of the world comes to life through a unified framework for interpreting and understanding architecture, supplemented by rich drawings from the renowned Frank Ching as well as brilliant photographs.
Architecture and art history enthusiasts will find A Global History of Architecture perpetually at their fingertips.
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| Customer Reviews:
a MUST be for all architects... February 10, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
i agree with all the previous reviews, this book is a must be and worth every penny you spend on it. the chronicle order of this book make it easy to understand and to be used as a reference... i recommend it for my students in the comparative class...
Useful New Textbook on Global Architecture May 19, 2007
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
At first I thought the book would be too dry and encyclopedia like, but when I started reading the chapters, I was taken by the text. It moved along nicely, and though there is a lot of information, it is presented in a way that makes sense, and in a way that helps one navigate through the `big pictures' of history. The maps are nice but they sometimes could have more information on them. The book is a challenge to those who think linearly or for those who think that the history of architecture "begins" with the Egyptians and Greeks and then "ends" in US postmodernism; the purpose of the book is to keep the globe turning. Sometimes the authors go east to west and sometimes west to east. It takes a little getting used to, but I think people will appreciate the idea that history is a moving target. It makes for some interesting contrasts. Each chapter has its own particular logic, however, and tries to emphasize a particular theme, having to do with religion or politics. On page 511, there is an imaginary architecture tour that begins in Japan and ends in England; it was an eye opener for me. At that particular time, as the authors point out, though Europe was in the middle of the Renaissance, there was a lot of good stuff also happening in China, India, and Turkey, that cannot be simply ignored as part of some `other' tradition.' It was all interconnected. I also discovered the free Google Earth download from Wiley Press web site where all the buildings in the book are flagged! That has been a great help in lectures.
Perfect February 19, 2007
0 out of 13 found this review helpful
This book arrived on time and in perfect condition. I was pleased with the service and would order again.
long over-due summary of global architecture: a must buy October 26, 2006
19 out of 19 found this review helpful
This book is a sorely needed alternative to current textbooks. It is written in crisp and unsentimental style that conveys big themes but with an attention to details. The book is organized as a series of timelines beginning with 3500 BC and ending with a chapter on recent architecture. But instead of each chapter beginning at the same place in the world, each chapter begins somewhere differently.3500 BCE starts in China, 25 BCE in India, 1500 BCE in Egypt and 800 BCE with the Olmecs in Mexico. This constant turning and spinning of the globe is, in my view, quite exiting, as it gets students to learn how to be comparative in their thinking and simultaneously mobile in their intellectual understanding of history. Each chapter is introduced by a one page "take" on the architecture of each time section. These introductions, which serve as a text with a text, point out the themes of each chapter. Naturally in a work like this, one can talk about what is and is not included, but one has to give credit to the fact that book provokes that type of question in a positive way.
A fascinating argument that the authors make is that from early on architecture was changing and adapting, and, in essence, `modern.' In other words, it is not that WE are modern and everything before us was linear and stable. The book in that sense not only wants us to get a sense of the global horizon of architecture, but also a sense that architecture is very much IN history, reflecting in very real and dramatic way the changes that take place not only in technology and economy, but also in religion and power, those being four identifiable subtexts of the author's approach to the material.
I especially liked the chapter 1600 and its companion chapter "Architecture of Eurasian Power Block" which starts in Japan and works its way through Eurasia to England, not once but twice to emphasize the significance worldwide of the period 1500 to 1700 in the history of architecture. The drawings, sections, plans and photos work well with a text that is as densely packaged as this. And finally, it is worth noting that the book also serves to give the students fundamentals in the various global architectural vocabularies, Greek, Chinese, Hindu
Ka Ching! August 24, 2006
18 out of 18 found this review helpful
I pre-ordered Ching's new book months ago based just on his outstanding work in his previous books. I wasn't disapponted. The timeline organization gives a much-needed new comparative perspective on architecture around the globe and across time. Ching's illustrations and choice of photos are just enough to illustrate the excellent text. This is yet another example of Ching's talent as an architectural illustrator and teacher of arxchitecture.
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