The House Book

A visual feast of 500 iconic houses and traditional dwellings from all over the world, The House Book presents a vibrant and fresh view of architects and designers responsible for some of the most diverse international houses of all time. From Hadrian's Villa to Palladio's Villa Rotunda and Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye, through to the contemporary houses of Richard Rogers and Frank Gehry, it features the widest range of both architect-designed and traditional dwellings. Following the hugely popular format of The Art Book, it presents 500 architects in A-Z order, offering an easily accessible and informative sourcebook for experts as well as readers coming to an architectural survey for the first time. Some of the houses are celebrated for their role in architectural history, others are iconic for their individual features or structure, but all are seminal forms of dwelling. The selection ranges from the palaces of kings to the individual huts of the Hutu, but the book illustrates with magnitude that the essential qualities of the home remain greatly unchanged over the centuries. Each architect or designer is represented by a full-page reproduction, usually in colour, of their most significant house and an accompanying text that describes the image and its designer. Each page includes meticulous cross-references to other architects working in a similar style, movement or time period. The book also includes an easy-to-use glossary of architectural terms and movements and an extensive directory of houses open to the public. This portable and user-friendly mini-edition makes the book perfect for dipping into, for travel, or for use as a gift.

Table of Contents:
Introduction; The 500 Houses; Glossary of Technical Terms; Directory of Houses

Review :
"'Packaged like six bricks, with a cover to match, it's a stunning visual experience. Beautifully produced, thoroughly thought-provoking, this is the gift book of the year.' (The Independent); 'Like all Phaidon publications, it is beautifully produced, cleanly laid out, with short, pithy captions.' (The Sunday Business Post, Ireland); 'In the spirit of calm, detached journalism, let's just say that The House Book is beyond fabulous.... For each pad - from Sami tent to the Winter Palace - you get a brief description, a glorious photo, and snappy cross referencing. What more could you want?' (Independent on Sunday); 'While many of the works are iconic, others are little-known and a revelation for the first-time viewer, particularly, I found, those from South America, Australia, India and Japan. Its selection of contemporary architecture is also impressive.' (Contemporary); 'Eclectic, inspiring, sometimes eccentric, toeing no party line... The House Book, which in the wrong hands could have told a rather partial history of domestic design, aims instead for catholic inclusivity - and succeeds. (Hugh Pearman, World of Interiors); '... an ideal coffee table companion - to be delved into time and time again.' (Self Build); 'Fresh and vibrant views of the architects and designers responsible for some of the world's most interesting homes.... the perfect gift for anyone interested in architecture and design.' (OK!); 'Surveys everything from palaces to mud huts.... What would you rather live in? A chateau in France or a yurt in Mongolia? An usha in Saudi Arabia or a villa in Rome?... The book is beautiful to look at, fascinating to dip into.' (The Tablet); 'Illustrates the incredible diversity of human habitation.' (The Scotsman); 'An elegant cheat sheet for residential architecture.' (Dwell); 'An interesting and fresh view of 500 iconic houses and traditional dwellings.' (Echoes); 'Features the work of 500 great architects - from Alvar Aalto to Peter Zumthor - in a clear, visually compelling format.' (Home Style); 'Each page of The House Book offers a new delight, usually totally different from the one before it. For instance, a Blackfoot tepee in a circa 1900 black-and-white photograph contrasts starkly with a '50s modern glass-and-concrete house on the next page and a stately 16th-century French chateau a few pages away. The 500 dwellings from around the world included in this handsome book are presented alphabetically by architect or other designation, leading to interesting juxtapositions of styles and history. Brief but informative text keeps you turning pages.' (Houston Chronicle); 'A resource for the architecturally knowledgeable as well as eye candy for design lovers.' (LA Weekly); 'Among the serendipitous pleasures of this eye-filling album are the random juxtapositions that occasionally pair designs with surprising affinities on facing pages, prompting memories of compare-and-contrast final-exam questions.' (New York Times Book Review); 'An endlessly fascinating, encyclopedic tour of the world's best examples of domestic architecture.' (Town and Country)"