A History of Western Architecture

A History of Western Architecture is a textbook by British architectural historian David Watkin, first published in 1986. The seventh edition (2023) was revised and expanded by Owen Hopkins.[1] The book is known for emphasising the classical tradition's importance for later architecture.

A History of Western Architecture
Front cover of 1992 paperback version of 1st edition
AuthorDavid Watkin
LanguageEnglish
SubjectHistory of architecture
GenreTextbook
Published1986 (original)
2023 (7th ed.)
PublisherThames & Hudson (original), Laurence King Publishing (7th ed.)
Pages591 (original)
752 (7th ed.)
ISBN978-1529420302

Contents

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As of the fourth edition (2005), the book has 11 chapters:[2]

Publication

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Seven editions have been published as of 2024. The seventh was revised and expanded in 2023 following Watkin's death in 2018 by Owen Hopkins, another British architectural historian. By then, a chapter on 21st-century architecture had split off the 20th-century one.[1] Translations have been published in multiple languages such as Dutch.[3]

Reception

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By the 2000s, Watkin's textbook became widely used in architectural schools in the Netherlands and Belgium for the standard introductory survey course on the history of Western architecture. In a 2002 article, architectural historians Hilde Heynen and Krista de Jonge noted that the textbook's use along with a few other standard ones promoted a standardization of the taught architectural canon of a small set of buildings that illustrated recognized periods of architectural history. At the same time, these schools were trying to move away from a standard canon.[3]

British art historian Deborah Howard recommended A History of Western Architecture as a survey reference textbook in 2002.[4]

Citations

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Bibliography

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  • Clement, Russell T. (August 1, 2011). "Watkin, David. A History of Western Architecture". Library Journal. 136 (13): 92.
  • Goss, Peter L. (1988). "Review: A History of Western Architecture by David Watkin". Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. 47 (1): 79–80. doi:10.2307/990261. JSTOR 990261. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  • Heynen, Hilde; de Jonge, Krista (September 2002). "The Teaching of Architectural History and Theory in Belgium and the Netherlands". Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. 61 (3): 335–345. doi:10.2307/991787. JSTOR 991787.
  • Howard, Deborah (September 2002). "Teaching Architectural History in Great Britain and Australia: Local Conditions and Global Perspectives". Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. 61 (3): 346–354. doi:10.2307/991788. JSTOR 991788.
  • Watkin, David (2005). A History of Western Architecture (4th ed.). London: Laurence King Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85669-459-9.