The Four Books on Architecture

The Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio was one of the most influential
figures that the field of architecture has ever produced. For classical architects,
the term Palladian stands for a vocabulary of architectural forms embodying
perfection and beauty. Of even greater significance than Palladio's buildings is his
treatise I quattro libri dell'architettura (The Four Books On Architecture), the
most successful architectural treatise of the Renaissance and one of the two or
three most important books in the literature of architecture. First published in
Italian in 1570, it has been translated into every major Western language.This is
the first English translation of Palladio in over 250 years, making it the only
translation available in modern English. Until now, English-language readers have
had to rely mostly on a facsimile of Isaac Ware's 1738 translation and the
eighteenth-century engravings prepared for that text. This new translation by Robert
Tavernor and Richard Schofield contains Palladio's original woodcuts, reproduced in
facsimile and positioned correctly, adjacent to the text. The book also contains a
glossary that explains technical terms in their original context, a bibliography of
recent Palladio research, and an introduction to Palladio and his times.The First
Book discusses building materials and techniques, as well as the five orders of
architecture: Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite. Palladio describes
the characteristics of each order and illustrates them. The Second Book discusses
private town houses and country estates, almost all designed by Palladio. The Third
Book discusses streets, bridges, piazzas, and basilicas, most of ancient Roman
origin. The Fourth Book discusses ancient Roman temples, including the
Pantheon.