The Story of Art

'It would be difficult to find a better written, more succinct account of its subject than this book. Christopher Hibbert drives the story of these islands - in crisp vivid prose that never flags.' Country Landowner, August 2003, UK " - The story is told in a clear and fluent narrative that covers the entire world and the whole of human history in a well-planned sequence of 21 chapters - The Story of Architecture brings understanding and insight for those who have encountered the world's architectural heritage in their travels or through the media, and seek to explore it further - " Perspective " - a book that has already become seminal among students of architecture - there is not much that the distinguished professor misses, as he roams the architectural world, asking, "why is it like this?" The Times Literary Supplement " - required reading for anyone interested in the evolution of a noble art form. ..The story is told in a clear and fluent narrative which covers the entire world and the whole of human history. That is some achievement. ..the author draws on hid own architectural experience to inspire the reader to enter the mind of the architect - " The Yorkshire Evening Press "Nuttgens proceeds on two fronts. First - this is a signal strength - he writes with an architect's sense of how buildings are actually built, how they manage to stay up; he gently leads the reader through a crash course - in the fundamental principles of construction. He is also industrious in describing the social and political context within which building took place - This book is a treasury of facts - " The Tablet "Patrick Nuttgens' The Story of Architecture has taken honours among introductory architecture texts since its publication. - Along with an excellent bibiography, the book boasts all the appurtenances desirable in such a work - time lines, maps, and thumbnail biographies of 125 historic and contemporary architects. - Nuttgens avoids the jargon of the trade, proving - again - that plain old English is perfectly capable of describing complex creations, evolutions, architects and buildings. - more than 400 well-chosen and expertly reproduced illustrations - In an era when so much writing on architecture is either diatribe or gibberish, Nuttgens' approach is a relief. His account is comprehensive, cosmopolitan, judicious, and generous. " World Architecture