[.ca] ABC of Architecture (ISBN 0812216318)

From Amazon.com:
James F. O'Gorman's A B C of Architecture is a concise, illuminating introduction to the complex subject of architecture. O'Gorman himself calls this slim volume a "modest grammar" on the subject, but it's much more than that. In elegant prose O'Gorman teaches architectural theory as he teaches history. If you've ever wondered about arches, domes, or the importance of concrete, A B C Architecture will likely have the answers you're looking for. For those unfamiliar with architecture, O'Gorman includes a glossary of terms and suggestions for dictionaries.

The vocabulary of architecture:
Just as the title implies, this book is about how to read architecture. Reading requires understanding the vocabulary and structure of the language concerned. O'Gorman begins with Vitruvius' notions of function, structure, and beauty, and relates them to a building's plan, section, and elevation drawings respectively. Those, he claims, are the ABC's of architecture. But he also, knowingly or not, emphasizes that the future architect or critic study another, less metaphorical, vocabulary. It is important to know the names of architectural components and activities, and O'Gorman includes a chapter in which he recommends several dictionaries and presents some words, their meanings, and their histories. For an introductory book on architecture, ABC OF ARCHITECTURE is very concise and well structured. His text is accompanied by useful illustrations. While he seems a bit disdainful of "celebrity architects," that is fine for the beginning architect who needs a strong foundation. The main flaw is its emphasis on Western architecture, but that is a characteristic shared by many other books.

Short and, mostly, sweet.:
This is a very informative, short book. While he doesn't ignore periods entirely, O'Gormans approach is to concentrate on key architectural principles, primarily structural, and use buildings, or even simplified sketches, to illustrate them. The book would have been even better if the glossary at the end were expanded, and used some sketches: words are frequently far less useful than pictures in explaining a term. Also, I found O'Gormans introduction a bit forced and wordy. Conversely, the last few pages of the book, in which he hurriedly covers such topics as the importance of history and association in interpreting architectural work, were fascinating, but rushed.

O'Gorman is too old fashioned ...:
Although it is intended for a more amateur architectural audience, O'Gorman doesn't seem to encompass modern thinking into his book. He pretty much re-vamps Vitruvius' famous work into this contemporary style. However, with his contemporary writing, he doesn't bring in any contemporary ideas... He leaves post modernism and modernism out completely... He refers to Mies Van der Rohe, yet he wrongly references him. Mies wasn't concerned with utility, where as O'Gorman's main thesis is that architecture IS utilitarian. The book is a fast easy read however, and it's been interesting... and it WILL certainly help first year arch. students.

Great Starter!:
This book is a great starter book for the beginning arch. student. It has a quick synopsis of the text in the front and the more lengthy, though still brief, read afterward. This was useful for me to just figure out what the elements of architecture are.

Excellent Introduction to Architecture:
My college freshman daughter told me she was thinking about majoring in environmental design. Knowing nothing about environmental design, I decided I needed to know more. Architecture is a part of environmental design, and I feel fortunate to have found this book. It is a fast read at about 120 pages, and it is focused on the three principles of an ancient Roman architect named Vitruvius: Utilitas, Firmitas, and Venustas in Latin, or function, structure, and beauty. The book devotes a chapter to each of these principles, and has additional chapters on architecture as communication and the vocabulary of architecture. The book also stresses the importance of history on architecture. The book has numerous drawings that help illustrate the points in the text. After reading this book I feel like I have a high-level picture of what architects have to consider in their profession.