Other editions of book Round Buildings, Square Buildings, and Buildings that Wiggle Like a Fish

What do we see when we look at a building? From the classical Parthenon in Greece to the simple fisherman's shacks in New England to the post-modernist Pompidou Center in France, Philip Isaacson explores what gives buildings their character. From the materials, form, color, ornamentation, placement in the landscape and the way the light strikes them, there are so many elements that contribute to shaping architecture into art. This is a perfect introduction to the complexities and wonders of architecture for children and adults. "This wonderful book will change the way you see buildings forever." –New York Newsday "The photographs are marvelous and the text clear and interesting."—The New Yorker "Isaacson's book could be the beginning of a lifelong love of architecture."—The Chicago Tribune A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book: Nonfiction, a Notable 1988 Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, and winner of the Scientific American Young Readers Award

What do we see when we look at a building? From the classical Parthenon in Greece to the simple fisherman's shacks in New England to the post-modernist Pompidou Center in France, Philip Isaacson explores what gives buildings their character. From the materials, form, color, ornamentation, placement in the landscape and the way the light strikes them, there are so many elements that contribute to shaping architecture into art. This is a perfect introduction to the complexities and wonders of architecture for children and adults. "This wonderful book will change the way you see buildings forever." –New York Newsday "The photographs are marvelous and the text clear and interesting."—The New Yorker "Isaacson's book could be the beginning of a lifelong love of architecture."—The Chicago Tribune A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book: Nonfiction, a Notable 1988 Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, and winner of the Scientific American Young Readers Award

When we look at a building, what do we see? Here is a book that answers that deceptively simple question in dozens of illluminating ways. With a spare, beguiling text and 100 striking color photographs, Phillip Isaacson takes us on a personal tour of buildings the world over, from the Taj Mahal in India to the TWA Terminal in New York to the churches of rural Florida. Along the way he discusses the many elements that give buildings their flavor and character - from materials, form, color, and ornamentation to their placement in the landscape and the way that light strikes them. In the process we learn something of the history of architecture and a great deal about architectural harmony and beauty. Most important, we learn to look at the buildings around us as we never have before, and to savor what we see.