A History of Architecture: Settings and Rituals

When the late Spiro Kostof's A History of Architecture appeared in 1985, it was universally hailed as a masterpiece—one of the finest books on architecture ever written. Now, updated and expanded, this classic reference continues to bring to readers the full array of civilization's architectural achievements. Insightful, engagingly written and graced with close to a thousand superb illustrations, the Second Edition of this extraordinary volume offers a sweeping narrative that examines architecture as it reflects the social, economic, and technological aspects of human history. The scope of the book is astonishing. Kostof examines a surprisingly wide variety of man-made structures: prehistoric huts and the TVA, the pyramids of Giza and the Rome railway station, the ziggurat and the department store. Kostof considered every building worthy of attention, every structure a potential source of insight, whether it be prehistoric hunting camps at Terra Amata, or the caves at Lascaux with their magnificent paintings, or a twenty-story hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

Review :
Praise for the previous edition: A magnificent guided tour through mankind's architecture....This splendid book is that rara avis, a treat for any reader and a first-rate textbook on the subject. Extremely valuable resource which puts architectural history into a larger social, cultural context, and integrates architectural and urban phenomena. The best introductory survey of architecture in English! A unique historical and cultural perspective, and an excellent portfolio of illustrations. A concise, engaging text! Well organized, with a clear logical order and presentation of information. Great graphics. [Kostof's] challenging text is ultimately inspiring, richly rewarding, and at times brilliant. This testament to his life will live for decades as a standard textbook. Highly recommended... A superb text for introducing graduate students to the world of architecture! I like the book very much....[I]ts text is very perceptive and interesting. Excellent as a basic text. Excellent! I am adopting it for the fall and winter quarters. Very thorough and comprehensive! [Kostof] sets the standard for a year-long course of architectural history in a postmodern context. A well documented and careful analysis of architectural history through the ages and across cultural context. Great resource! Without a doubt, the best history of architecture survey on the market today! Comprehensive, witty and poetically written. I read and reread the text, but, more importantly, my students do the same. A welcome update of a seminal work. The additions...make the second edition an even more circumspect view of the world's architecture Teaching history of architecture will be impossible again without reference to this book! An outstanding study and one of the most important books written on the topic in our time. Highly recommended! This second edition greatly enhances the excellent original text. The color plates are a big plus, and the revised and expanded chapters make this text even more valuable. By far the best comprehensive history of world architecture available today. I have used the first edition and feel the adoption of color plates will make this even more attractive to undergraduates. The urban approach is very welcome. A superior text! Excellent collection of photos, illustrations, plans, and elevations. The site drawings are especially useful....[T]he adoption of the post-modernist "Designing the Fin-de-Siecle" is on target. The comparative nature of the text has brought excellent input to Architectural History/Theory classes. I find the new 1995 edition to be a much better source for "Modern Architecture", with the additions made to the last part of the book. Praise for the previous edition: The scope of the book is astonishing....[It is] the most ambitious effort at a comprehensive one-volume treatment of the history of architecture since Talbot Hamlin's Architecture Through the Ages....As a textbook it is a substantial success....[It] pull[s] together the work of a multitude of scholars into a workable synthesis that will be of value to college students who are just becoming acquainted with the area of study....Kostof has achieved a synthesis of sound scholarship, up-to-date interpretation, and excellent analysis for which he and his publisher are to be congratulated. The best one-volume history of western architecture in print, if not the best ever written. Comprehensive, intelligent, well-illustrated The best available text. A magnificent guided tour through mankind's architecture....This splendid book is that rara avis, a treat for any reader and a first-rate textbook on the subject.