Product Description

"ABC of Architecture" is an accessible, nontechnical introduction to architectural structure, history, and criticism. Author James F. O'Gormon moves seamlessly from a discussion of the most basic inspiration for architecture (the need for shelter from the elements), to an exploration of space, system, and material, and, finally, to an examination of the language and history of architecture. He shows the nonspecialist how to read a design in plans, sections, and elevations, and how architects, like other artists, make creative use of space and light.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #680372 in Books
• Published on: 2002-06-27
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .42" h x 5.52" w x 8.52" l, .43 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

From Amazon.com
James F. O'Gorman's A B C of Architecture is a concise, illuminating introduction to the complex subject of architecture. O'Gorman himself calls this slim volume a "modest grammar" on the subject, but it's much more than that. In elegant prose O'Gorman teaches architectural theory as he teaches history. If you've ever wondered about arches, domes, or the importance of concrete, A B C Architecture will likely have the answers you're looking for. For those unfamiliar with architecture, O'Gorman includes a glossary of terms and suggestions for dictionaries.

From Library Journal
This volume represents a significant departure in terms of its intended readership, scope of subject, and depth of analysis for O'Gorman (art, Wellesley Coll.), who has written eloquently and with considerable originality on late 19th-century American architecture. Here he provides a brief primer on architectural awareness for the beginning student or lay reader. The text, which addresses the reader directly, closely approximates the tone of an undergraduate lecture. Structured around three central chapters, each corresponding to one of Vitruvius's defining elements (firmness, commodity, and delight), the lucid explanations focus on plan, structure, and style, respectively. The illustrations are the chief liability: heavy-lined drawings provide less than adequate visual descriptions of buildings rich in texture, shadow, and color. Moreover, lacking figure numbers and descriptive captions, they are much less useful than they might otherwise be. As an introduction to the topic, this volume does not eclipse Steen Eiler Rasmussen's timeless and original Experiencing Architecture (1962), but it may do well in larger public libraries.?Paul Glassman, Pratt Inst. Lib., Brooklyn
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"May be the best-written work on the subject."-New York Times "Thank goodness for James F. O'Gorman, who has given us this refreshingly clear guide to the indispensable convergence of art and science we call architecture."-Forbes "[O'Gorman's] mastery of the subject shows in his straightforward, lucid prose."-Publishers Weekly "James O'Gorman's ABC of Architecture takes its rightful place among the few paragons this century of clear and direct introductions to the field."-Robert Venturi