A Global History of Architecture

About the Author:

FRANCIS D.K. CHING is Professor of Architecture at the University of Washington. He is the author of numerous architecture and design books, including Architecture: Form, Space, and Order; Architectural Graphics; Interior Design Illustrated; and Building Construction Illustrated, all from Wiley.

MARK M. JARZOMBEK is Director of History, Theory, and Criticism of Architecture and Art, Professor of the History of Architecture at MIT, and author of several books with university presses.

VIKRAMADITYA PRAKASH is Chair and Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Washington and the author of several academic publications.

Review:

"...the work offers a fresh and engaging outlook for an architectural history survey course. It affords the student an opportunity to view architecture differently and make connections that might not otherwise be apparent." (American Reference Books Annual, 2008)

"...it constitutes a wonderful and interesting read in its own right, and because of its exceptionally wide perspective, even architectural historians who do not teach general survey courses are likely to enjoy and appreciate it." (Annali d'architecthura, 2008)

"Not only does A Global History of Architecture own the territory [of world architecture], it pulls off this audacious task with panache, intelligence and -- for the most part -- grace. The slices of time in A Global History provide a richer learning experience for an introductory course." (Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, 2008)

"The book's most informative and attractive feature is its illustrations, hundreds of drawings by Ching, a noted author and architectural illustrator." (Choice, March 2007)

A decade after the 100th anniversary of Banister Fletcher's venerable and indispensable A History of Architecture (20th ed.) comes this fresh, one-volume historical encyclopedia of world architecture. 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 last 5000 years of building into a simple but brilliantly workable chronological schema of "timecuts," flexible time spans growing shorter and denser as we reach the present. These timecuts succeed in facilitating cross-cultural analysis and minimizing Eurocentric bias. Best of all, they prevent yet another rehash of architectural history as a monotonous procession of endless and unconnected styles, periods, and places. Thus, the Forbidden City, Topkapi Palace, and Villa Medici are viewed as phenomena interdependent upon international trade routes and as outgrowths of an emergent "global urbanism." Fifteenhundred elegant and superbly legible hand drawings by Ching, along with 1000 photographs and maps, illustrate a lucid and engaging text. Something of a hybrid, this is as much a solid reference resource as a revisionist textbook. Essential for most collections.
—David Soltész, Cuyahoga Cty. P.L., Parma, OH (Library Journal, October 15, 2006)

"...a unique and ambitious undertaking..." (The London Review of Books, November 2006)

"Extremely informative, it will no doubt become a standard reference book."  (The Herald {Glasgow}, Saturday 15th December 2007)

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