The Chicago School of Architecture: A History of Commercial and Public Building in the Chicago Area, 1875-1925

This is Condit's most significant contribution to the history of architecture-- a must-read for anyone interested in Chicago, its architecture, and the broader themes of American vernacular inventiveness in design and engineering. Condit is not forgiving of the reader-- prepare to learn more than you might have planned about caissons, load-bearing structural systems, windows, etc.-- but on the other hand there's little or no sense of being instructed in "good taste" here, either. Condit makes a plain-speaking argument and provides the information to support it. Those who wish to delve deeper will want to look to Condit's two-volume study of architecture in Chicago, long out of print but still available used. There his strong-willed personality appears more forcefully and so does his penchant for the technical; one leaves the work with a richer vocabulary, a sharper eye, and perhaps a sharper tongue, as well.