Illustrated Dictionary of Historic Architecture (Dover Architecture)

No long narratives, but a picture or dictionary description of everything you can think of architecturally. Very easy to use. This is my most used book for a class in the history of western architecture. The drawings are VERY well done.

I love this book! My textbook can be unclear on certain architectural elements and I can almost always count on this book to give me a definition and a drawing. If you are looking for colored pictures this isn't the right book for you but if you need some great reference material this is a great book.

This book is extremely helpful when taking any Architecture History course. Everything I have needed to know is in this book. The diagrams are more understandable than my textbook.

Cyril Harris has produced two great architectural dictionaries. The first one published in 1977 is the one currently being reviewed. His second dictionary is entitled, "American Architecture: An Illustrated Encyclopedia" and it was published in 1998 by Norton. If your interest in primarily in American Architecture stick to "American Architecture". It is a newer book and its has beautiful line illustrations of which the majority come from the Historic American Building Survey (HABS). It has over 2,500 definitions and 1,000 illustrations. However, if your interest is in World Architecture, this is the book for you. In this volume, Harris provides concise definitions for over 5,000 architectural terms and there are over 2,000 illustrations. From ancient ruins to 20th Century Modern Architecture, this illustrated dictionary covers the full spectrum of architectural achievement. All the illustrations are black and white line illustrations and they appear to principally come from the illustrated magazines of the 19th and Early 20th Century. Highly recommended.

There are so many facets of archetectural history that building terms seem to have lost their meaning. Especially in the ancient buildings from ancient Greek to medieval Gothic periods, the terms are so numerous -- and necessarily so.The definitions are so clearly written in practical, easily understandable language. The illustrations are so detailed and clean that minute discrepancies between one term and another are easily identifiable. When writing reviews or analyses of various architectural buildings and styles of buildings, this book should always be within reach of the pen or computer terminal.