Rice's Language of Buildings
Published on 6. September 2018
Book
Hardback
240 pages
978-1-4088-9378-4 (ISBN)
Description
A new, larger format edition of Rice's Architectural Primer.
This beautifully illustrated book covers the grammar and vocabulary of British buildings, explaining the evolution of styles from Norman castles to Norman Foster. Its aim is to enable the reader to recognise, understand and date any British building.
As Matthew Rice says, 'Once you can speak any language, conversation can begin, but without it communications can only be brief and brutish. The same is the case with Architecture: an inability to describe the component parts of a building leaves one tongue-tied and unable to begin to discuss what is or is not exciting, dull or peculiar about it.' With this book in your hand, buildings will break down beguilingly into their component parts, ready for inspection and discussion. There will be no more references to 'that curly bit on top of the thing with the square protrusions'. Fluent in the world of volutes, hood moulds, lobed architraves and bucrania, you will be able to leave a cathedral or country house with as much to talk about as a film or play.
Complete with over 400 exquisite watercolour illustrations and hand-drawn annotations, this is a joyous celebration of British buildings and will allow you to observe and describe the world around you afresh.
This beautifully illustrated book covers the grammar and vocabulary of British buildings, explaining the evolution of styles from Norman castles to Norman Foster. Its aim is to enable the reader to recognise, understand and date any British building.
As Matthew Rice says, 'Once you can speak any language, conversation can begin, but without it communications can only be brief and brutish. The same is the case with Architecture: an inability to describe the component parts of a building leaves one tongue-tied and unable to begin to discuss what is or is not exciting, dull or peculiar about it.' With this book in your hand, buildings will break down beguilingly into their component parts, ready for inspection and discussion. There will be no more references to 'that curly bit on top of the thing with the square protrusions'. Fluent in the world of volutes, hood moulds, lobed architraves and bucrania, you will be able to leave a cathedral or country house with as much to talk about as a film or play.
Complete with over 400 exquisite watercolour illustrations and hand-drawn annotations, this is a joyous celebration of British buildings and will allow you to observe and describe the world around you afresh.
Reviews / Votes
A rather handsome tome looking at the grammar and vocabulary of British buildings * Cotswold Life * Nearly a decade on from the original book, the layman's interest in architecture is growing * Daily Telegraph *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Illustrations
Colour illustrations throughout
Dimensions
Height: 254 mm
Width: 179 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
832 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4088-9378-4 (9781408893784)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Matthew Rice is a writer and illustrator who thought he knew lots about British architecture until he started to write and illustrate this book. His message to readers is, if you want to understand a building, sit in front of it and draw it. You might also have seen his work in Country Life, on his own calendar or on much of his wife Emma Bridgewater's pottery. He lives in Oxford and Norfolk.