Overview

Carter Wiseman presents an original, readable, and literate overview of the major figures, influential movements, and landmark buildings that have defined American architecture over the past hundred years. In a survey that is ""as good . . . as anyone is likely to write . . . accurate in its facts, wise and fair in its judgments""(New York Times), he focuses to a large extent on architecture's makers--the commanding figures who by force of personality and sheer artistic ability indelibly influenced its progress: Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, Philip Johnson, I. M. Pei, Robert Venturi, Louis Kahn, Frank Gehry. The triumph of modernism; the growth of architectural preservation; the eclipse of the practical arts by money, theory, and abstraction; and the uncertain future of architecture in a country that celebrates both individualism and community are just some of the issues addressed in this highly praised work. Originally published in hardcover under the title Shaping a Nation. An authoritative and richly illustrated narrative history of the buildings that shaped the American century and the architects who gave them form.

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9780393320541

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"""This book is about as good a summary of American architecture of this century as anyone is likely to write. It is full and accurate in its facts, wise and fair in its judgments."" -- Robert Campbell - New York Times Book Review ""Writing with depth and good humor, Wiseman deftly chronicles one of the most dramatic and spectacular periods of this country's architectural history."" -- Architectural Record ""[A] compelling argument for the importance of architecture to our current culture…a desirable addition to the shelves of readers even with only a passing interest in architecture, and an essential book for the more serious."" -- Publishers Weekly"

""This book is about as good a summary of American architecture of this century as anyone is likely to write. It is full and accurate in its facts, wise and fair in its judgments."" -- Robert Campbell - New York Times Book Review ""Writing with depth and good humor, Wiseman deftly chronicles one of the most dramatic and spectacular periods of this country's architectural history."" -- Architectural Record ""[A] compelling argument for the importance of architecture to our current culture…a desirable addition to the shelves of readers even with only a passing interest in architecture, and an essential book for the more serious."" -- Publishers Weekly

Author Information

Carter Wiseman teaches history and criticism at the Yale School of Architecture. He lives in Weston, Connecticut. He is also the author of Twentieth-Century American Architecture.

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