A History of Western Architecture

In his highly acclaimed survey David Watkin traces the history of western architecture from the earliest times in Mesopotamia and Egypt to the dramatic impact of CAD (computer-aided design) on architectural practice at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

Adopting an approach that sees architectural history as a living continuity rather than a museum of neatly labelled styles, the author emphasizes the ongoing vitality of the Classical language of architecture, underlining the continuity between, say, the work of Ictinus in fifth- century BC Athens and that of McKim, Mead and White in twentieth-century New York. This authoritative, comprehensive and highly illustrated book provides a fresh perspective which will be invaluable to students and anyone interested in the history of architecture.

The fourth edition of this standard reference work has been expanded to bring the story of western architecture right up to date.