Sacred Architecture

Rating:
Summary: A superb starting point
Review: As an architect, I found this book a fascinating launch pad for further research into the symbolism and mythologies that went in to the making of so much of the World's great architecture. As a primer, this book takes us from the mythic nature of ancient architectural symbolism through the memory theater of the middle ages and into the Jungian understanding of symbols and forms. I enjoyed the initiation into hidden truths concealed within buildings and now my travel plans are slowly converging with places descibed in ths book.

Rating:
Summary: A good introduction.
Review: But that's probably about the extent of what can really be said about it. I think this more-or-less meant to be a coffee table book as it contains a lot of photos. The author deals with the subject matter in a sort of superficial way that doesn't really delve too deep into the motives behind the use of certain principles - thankfully that subject matter can be found in other books. The one thing I took away from the book was merely an understanding that their were practices in many cultures around the world that dealt with putting the spiritual symbolically into their architecture.

Rating:
Summary: A good introduction.
Review: But that's probably about the extent of what can really be said about it. I think this more-or-less meant to be a coffee table book as it contains a lot of photos. The author deals with the subject matter in a sort of superficial way that doesn't really delve too deep into the motives behind the use of certain principles - thankfully that subject matter can be found in other books. The one thing I took away from the book was merely an understanding that their were practices in many cultures around the world that dealt with putting the spiritual symbolically into their architecture.