Renaissance Architecture (Oxford History of Art)

If you want to impress your friends while traveling in Venice and Florence, this book will give you a wealth of information and bring buildings to life. The historical, political, and biographical mix into a richly detailed survey of architecture. The book does a great job of linking specific architectural styles to political movements and moments in history. In particular, the discussion of Venetian architecture, the connection between the Hagia Sophia and Brunelleschi, and where the columns in renaissance buildings comes from are memorable. The writing style is engaging and the prose flows well. The illustrations are good and while the black and white of the Kindle (even on smartphone and iPad apps) isn't ideal, the sharpness of the Paperwhite display makes the most important details clear and crisp, so while you will miss color, it isn't a deal breaker.

There are multiple books on the market about Renaissance architecture. This, in my opinion, is among the best. The topic is covered thoroughly and in a chronolical manner, taking into account geographic particularities. An excellent balance is struck between avoiding too general an overview of the topic and a focus on any one particular aspect, such as the Renaissance in Italy. The text is quite sound and is supplement with excellent illustrations. I highly recommend it.,

Pretty standard overview of the period. Not as much coverage of non-elite architecture indicated in the introduction.In order to cover the works beyond the standard canon would require a book twice as long.

This was bought as a birthday present for my daughter to help with her Open University course. She seems to think that it fits the bill

Interesting reading

unread but comprehensive & fantastic reference book