Synopses & Reviews
From "one of our most original, accessible, and stimulating writers on architecture" (Library Journal) comes a captivating account of the life and work of Andrea Palladio, the father of domestic architecture. Once, architectural genius was reserved for temples and palaces, not private houses. But with his beautiful, perfectly proportioned villas, Andrea Palladio changed design forever. His 1570 architectural treatise was studied by Thomas Jefferson and Inigo Jones and proved critical to the design of Monticello and the White House. And his influence can still be seen today--in grand porches and columned porticoes, in our front door pediments and ceiling heights. Palladio's villas, situated along the Brenta river, just a short distance from Venice, are an increasingly popular tourist attraction. In The Perfect House, Rybczynski acts as an enchanted and illuminating tour guide, both to some of the world's most elegant dwellings, and to the man who built them. Combining the compelling biographical narrative of his bestselling A Clearing in the Distance with his renowned architectural insight, Rybczynski's charming meditation explores the dawn of domestic architecture, and provides a new way of looking at every building we inhabit or visit today.
Review
Ross King author of andlt;Iandgt;Brunelleschi's Domeandlt;/Iandgt; [A] wonderfully informative and evocative guide to both the elegant rooms of Palladio's villas and the fascinating history of how a humble stonemason from Padua became one of the most influential architects of all time.
Review
andlt;Iandgt;Los Angeles Timesandlt;/Iandgt; Rybczynski's clear description of what he sees and his lucid explanations of Palladio's ideas and methods enable the reader to see and understand the essence of this architect's accomplishments.
Review
The New York Times Evocative, compelling, charming, The Perfect House is the perfect traveling companion.
Review
andlt;Iandgt;The Philadelphia Inquirerandlt;/Iandgt; Rybczynski has applied all his usual grace, style, and curiosity to explore an important chapter of domestic history.
Review
andlt;Iandgt;The New York Timesandlt;/Iandgt; Evocative, compelling, charming, andlt;Iandgt;The Perfect Houseandlt;/Iandgt; is the perfect traveling companion.
Synopsis
"Palladio is the Bible," Thomas Jefferson once said. "You should get it and stick to it." With his simple, gracious, perfectly proportioned villas, Andrea Palladio elevated the architecture of the private house into an art form during the late sixteenth century -- and his influence is still evident in the ample porches, columned porticoes, grand ceilings, and front-door pediments of America today. andlt;BRandgt; In andlt;Iandgt;The Perfect House,andlt;/Iandgt; bestselling author Witold Rybczynski, whose previous books have transformed our understanding of domestic architecture, reveals how a handful of Palladio's houses in an obscure corner of the Venetian Republic should have made their presence felt hundreds of years later and halfway across the globe. More than just a study of one of history's seminal architectural figures, andlt;Iandgt;The Perfect Houseandlt;/Iandgt; reflects Rybczynski's enormous admiration for his subject and provides a new way of looking at the special landscapes we call "home" in the modern world.
About the Author
andlt;Bandgt;Witold Rybczynskiandlt;/Bandgt;, born in Edinburgh, raised in Canada, and currently living in Philadelphia, is the Meyerson Professor of Urbanism at the University of Pennsylvania. He has written on architecture and urbanism for andlt;i andgt;The New York Timesandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;i andgt;The Atlanticandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;i andgt;The New Yorkerandlt;/iandgt; and andlt;i andgt;Slateandlt;/iandgt;, and is the author of the critically acclaimed andlt;i andgt;Homeandlt;/iandgt; and the andlt;i andgt;A Clearing in the Distanceandlt;/iandgt;, a biography of frederick Law Olmsted, for which he was awarded the J. Anthony Lukas Prize. He is the recipient of the National Building Museumand#8217;s 2007 Vincent Scully Prize.
Table of Contents
andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;contentsandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;forewordandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;I Godiandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;II Che Bella Casaandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;III The Arched Deviceandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;IV On the Brentaandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;V Porticoesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;VI The Brothers Barbaroandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;VII An Immensely Pleasing Sightandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;VIII Emoandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;IX The Last Villaandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;X Palladio's Secretandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Afterwordandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;The Villasandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Glossaryandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Acknowledgmentsand#160;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Notesand#160;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Indexand#160;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;