„. the work offers a fresh and engaging outlook for anarchitectural history survey course. It affords the student anopportunity to view architecture differently and make connectionsthat might not otherwise be apparent.“ (American Reference BooksAnnual, 2008)
„. it constitutes a wonderful and interesting read in itsown right, and because of its exceptionally wide perspective, evenarchitectural historians who do not teach general survey coursesare likely to enjoy and appreciate it.“ (Annalid'architecthura, 2008)
„Not only does A Global History of Architecture own theterritory [of world architecture], it pulls off this audacious taskwith panache, intelligence and -- for the most part -- grace. Theslices of time in A Global History provide a richer learningexperience for an introductory course.“ (Journal of the Societyof Architectural Historians, 2008)
"The book's most informative and attractive feature is itsillustrations, hundreds of drawings by Ching, a noted author andarchitectural illustrator." (Choice, March 2007)
A decade after the 100th anniversary of Banister Fletcher'svenerable and indispensable A History of Architecture (20thed.) comes this fresh, one-volume historical encyclopedia of worldarchitecture. Ching (architecture, Univ. of Washington; Architecture: Form, Space, and Order), Mark M. Jarzombek(architecture & art, MIT), and Vikramaditya Prakash(architecture, Univ. of Washington) recast the story of the last5000 years of building into a simple but brilliantly workablechronological schema of „timecuts,“ flexible time spans growingshorter and denser as we reach the present. These timecuts succeedin facilitating cross-cultural analysis and minimizing Eurocentricbias. Best of all, they prevent yet another rehash of architecturalhistory as a monotonous procession of endless and unconnectedstyles, periods, and places. Thus, the Forbidden City, TopkapiPalace, and Villa Medici are viewed as phenomena interdependentupon international trade routes and as outgrowths of an emergent„global urbanism.“ Fifteenhundred elegant and superbly legible handdrawings by Ching, along with 1000 photographs and maps, illustratea lucid and engaging text. Something of a hybrid, this is as much asolid reference resource as a revisionist textbook. Essential formost collections.
--David Soltész, Cuyahoga Cty. P. L., Parma, OH(Library Journal, October 15, 2006)
„. a unique and ambitious undertaking.“ (TheLondon Review of Books, November 2006)
„Extremely informative, it will no doubt become a standardreference book.“ (The Herald {Glasgow}, Saturday 15thDecember 2007)
Organized along a global timeline, A Global History of Architecturepresents an innovative approach to the study of architecturalhistory. Spanning from 3,500 B. C. E. to the present, this uniqueguide is written by an all-star team of architectural experts intheir fields who emphasize the connections, contrasts, andinfluences of architectural movements throughout history. Thearchitectural history of the world comes to life through a unifiedframework for interpreting and understanding architecture, supplemented by rich drawings from the renowned Frank Ching as wellas brilliant photographs.
Architecture and art history enthusiasts will find A Global Historyof Architecture perpetually at their fingertips.