The Secret Lives of Buildings From the Parthenon to the Vegas Strip in Thirteen Stories

Paperback (02 Sep 2010)

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Publisher's Synopsis

The plans are drawn up, a site is chosen, foundations are dug: a building comes into being with the expectation that it will stay put and stay for ever. But a building is a capricious thing: it is inhabited and changed, and its existence is a tale of constant and curious transformation. In this radical reimagining of architectural history, Edward Hollis tells the stories of thirteen buildings, beginning with the 'once upon a time' when they first appeared, through the years of appropriation, ruin and renovation, and ending with a temporary 'ever after'. In spell-binding prose, Hollis follows his buildings through time and space to reveal the hidden histories of the Parthenon and the Alhambra, Gloucester Cathedral and Haghia Sofia, Sans Souci and Notre Dame de Paris, Malatesta's Tempio and Loreto, and explores landmarks of our own time, from Hulme's legendary crescents to the Berlin Wall and the fibre-glass theme parks of Las Vegas.

Book information

ISBN: 9781846271281
Publisher: Granta Publications
Imprint: Granta Books
Pub date:
DEWEY: 721.09
DEWEY edition: 22
Language: English
Number of pages: 388
Weight: 286g
Height: 196mm
Width: 127mm
Spine width: 27mm