Heavenly Mansions
and Other Essays on Architecture
25 November 1998
Description
Brilliantly written essays on the aesthetic principles and enduring motives of architecture.
A classic of architectural history and theory, Heavenly Mansions interprets architecture as a reflection of the age in which it flowers, and traces the alternating themes of fantasy and functionalism as exemplified in various styles and in the works of a number of influential men, including Wren, Viollet-le-Duc, William Butterfield, and Le Corbusier. Succinctly summarizing 800 years of viewpoints about architecture, it ranges from Gothic architecture to the Renaissance to the influence of modern abstract art on twentieth-century architecture.
"Each essay is a voyage of discovery. What is so interesting and what makes Mr. Summerson the architectural critic of his generation . . . is [an] aversion to dogma. . . . It is supremely well worth reading."—Spectator
"Each essay is a voyage of discovery. What is so interesting and what makes Mr. Summerson the architectural critic of his generation . . . is [an] aversion to dogma. . . . It is supremely well worth reading."—Spectator
Also By: Kent Bloomer 
The Nature of Ornament: Rhythm and Metamorphosis in Architecture
Hardback, 2000
A treasure trove of ideas and encouragement for architects looking for alternatives to the severity of modernism and graceless postmodernism.