What do you think?
Rate this book
Skyscrapers: A History of the World's Most Famous and Important Skyscrapers
Skyscrapers is a lavish and appropriately soaring celebration of the world's most spectacular buildings. From the ancient Lighthouse at Alexandria to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, from the Empire State Building to the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, the 50 buildings represented in this magnificent book leap off the page in words and more than 200 rich, duotone images. This unique volume includes facts-at-a-glance for each building, visual comparisons of heights, and quotes from a variety of architects and experts--all accompanying stunning full-page photos of each structure. "An eye-popping shelf-scraper...an elevating experience." -Gene Shalit, "Today" "Breathtaking. Magnificent. Unique. Very special. Exquisite. One-of-a-kind. Well researched. Beautifully designed." -Robert J. Bruss, Tribune Media Services
128 pages, Hardcover
First published January 5, 1996
11 people are currently reading
250 people want to read
About the author
Philip Johnson
218 books7 followersPhilip Cortelyou Johnson (July 8, 1906 – January 25, 2005) was an influential American architect.
In 1930, he founded the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. In 1978 he was awarded an American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and in 1979 the first Pritzker Architecture Prize. He was a student at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Johnson was gay, and has been called "the best-known openly gay architect in America." In 1961 he was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate member and became a full Academician in 1963.
In 1930, he founded the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. In 1978 he was awarded an American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and in 1979 the first Pritzker Architecture Prize. He was a student at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Johnson was gay, and has been called "the best-known openly gay architect in America." In 1961 he was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate member and became a full Academician in 1963.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
June 22, 2021
For some reason, little boys love skyscrapers almost as much as they love dinosaurs and spaceships, or at least they did when I was a little boy. I still love them. And there are so many more to love than there used to be. This is a great but very awkwardly shaped book that's mostly pictures, but you can't fault it for that. The book really did have to be skyscraper-shaped to make its point.
I think this is the first book I've reviewed on here that genuinely inspired something I've written myself. If you're one of those few people in the world that have read my book, or maybe one of the 78 additional people Goodreads tell me are thinking about reading it, you will be thrilled to see and read something about Landmark Tower in Yokohama, Japan, the place from which Dagmar Ceresole orchestrated her group's global strategy. Practically every snippet of information they give you about it here finished up in my book. I feel like I've been there several times. But I haven't. So maybe you've got one up on me...?
I think this is the first book I've reviewed on here that genuinely inspired something I've written myself. If you're one of those few people in the world that have read my book, or maybe one of the 78 additional people Goodreads tell me are thinking about reading it, you will be thrilled to see and read something about Landmark Tower in Yokohama, Japan, the place from which Dagmar Ceresole orchestrated her group's global strategy. Practically every snippet of information they give you about it here finished up in my book. I feel like I've been there several times. But I haven't. So maybe you've got one up on me...?
April 15, 2016
This is a tall coffee-table book featuring skyscrapers on every even page and the opposing odd page explaining a bit about how they were designed, who designed them, and notable facts about them.
Here is the list. I'm going to hide it under a spoiler tag so you are not bored.
This book is very American. The author would argue that skyscrapers in and of themselves are American. Most of those featured are in Chicago and New York City.
I was not too impressed by this book.
For one thing, the author makes the decision that all photography will be in black-and-white. I didn't like this. The whole book is black-and-white and looking at it is dull. I think some skyscrapers photographed in color or lit up at night might have made this more appealing to look at. As it is it's drab.
For another thing, if you are not seriously into architecture, you might find this dull. There were only a few things in here that interested me.
One was the feature on the Twin Towers. I was waiting for them to discuss 9/11. They never did. I flipped to the front of the book and saw the copyright was in 1996, which explained a lot. Reading the feature on the Twin Towers was like being transported back in time. It was interesting to me.
Here was another interesting thing, which happened to the Empire State Building:
On a foggy Saturday morning in July 1945, a pilot headed for Newark airport crashed his B-25 bomber into the seventy-ninth-floor offices of the Catholic War Relief Services, killing himself and thirteen others. Although the building suffered from fire damage and a gaping 20-foot gash, it was open for business on Monday. A daring New York Times photographer, Ernie Sisto, took this dramatic shot by convincing two of his colleagues to hold his legs while he climbed out onto a ledge and got the angle he wanted.
Here's his picture:
I found this story and the pictures interesting.
I also liked reading about the John Hancock in Chicago.
Home to more than 700 condominium dwellers, as well as offices, stores, and a hotel, the John Hancock is, at this writing, the tallest multi-use building in the world. Residents pay a small price for the telescopic views they enjoy of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin: their apartments are so high that sometimes a call to the doorman is necessary to find out what the weather is like on the ground. A comprehensive number of services are provided in the building, which also has its own post office, garbage collection, and supermarket. Technically, if you live and work in the John Hancock, you never have to leave it - an Orwellian thought indeed.
I learned that Batman founded Melbourne.
But overall the book was pretty dull, with not even any interesting pictures to distract me.
The forward was more interesting than the book was.
Like towering divas, skyscrapers command the urban stage. They hold us enthralled, leaving us anticipating and half-fearing their next majestic manifestation. The roles played by the skyscraper are many: they are icons of cities, stars of movies, symbols of corporate power, and the place where many of us report to work every morning. Deemed both avatars and annihilators of civilized life, they have been praised as efficient space savers and denounced as rapacious consumers of light and air. In short, the skyscraper's bold visual gestalt, one layered with multiple meanings, has become a complex metaphor for all that is good and bad about the twentieth century.
And the interview at the very beginning of the book with architect Phillip Johnson had some gems in it.
I think the interesting question is why does man want to build to the sky. What is there about the desire for domination, or to reach God, or for private pride - the Pyramids are an example of that, but the tall building is certainly another.... In the commercial world, the skyscraper came into existence because we didn't have any religion to express. But it was an expression, not the result of economic needs. It was an expression that wanted to reach the heavens...
They are claiming the cost of land - in Manhattan, for instance - creates skyscrapers. Well, if it's the cost of land, then why are they building skyscrapers in China?...
I have to say the skyscraper is finished. Why would I, a builder of many tall buildings, say such a thing? Because there is no economic need for them. It's pride. Skyscrapers will always be fancy, they will always be expensive, they will always be extra....
JD: Interesting that they're both women [The Statue of Liberty and Athena].
PJ: That's easy, we idolize them at the same time we look down on them. Cultures are funny. The Greeks never had women active in their society, but they built statues of them and worshiped them. Power is inexplicable, like love...
JD: Do you have any regrets after your long career?
PJ: I'm in mid-career.
LOL He was 90 at the time of this interview. But he did end up living until age 99. :p
Tl;dr - So... was this a worthwhile read? I'm going to have to say 'no.' Even though I learned a few new things, the book was full of dull text and dull pictures. If you are fascinated by skyscrapers or architecture, it might be worth a look. If not, skip it. It's not worth it.
Here is the list. I'm going to hide it under a spoiler tag so you are not bored.
This book is very American. The author would argue that skyscrapers in and of themselves are American. Most of those featured are in Chicago and New York City.
I was not too impressed by this book.
For one thing, the author makes the decision that all photography will be in black-and-white. I didn't like this. The whole book is black-and-white and looking at it is dull. I think some skyscrapers photographed in color or lit up at night might have made this more appealing to look at. As it is it's drab.
For another thing, if you are not seriously into architecture, you might find this dull. There were only a few things in here that interested me.
One was the feature on the Twin Towers. I was waiting for them to discuss 9/11. They never did. I flipped to the front of the book and saw the copyright was in 1996, which explained a lot. Reading the feature on the Twin Towers was like being transported back in time. It was interesting to me.
Here was another interesting thing, which happened to the Empire State Building:
On a foggy Saturday morning in July 1945, a pilot headed for Newark airport crashed his B-25 bomber into the seventy-ninth-floor offices of the Catholic War Relief Services, killing himself and thirteen others. Although the building suffered from fire damage and a gaping 20-foot gash, it was open for business on Monday. A daring New York Times photographer, Ernie Sisto, took this dramatic shot by convincing two of his colleagues to hold his legs while he climbed out onto a ledge and got the angle he wanted.
Here's his picture:
I found this story and the pictures interesting.
I also liked reading about the John Hancock in Chicago.
Home to more than 700 condominium dwellers, as well as offices, stores, and a hotel, the John Hancock is, at this writing, the tallest multi-use building in the world. Residents pay a small price for the telescopic views they enjoy of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin: their apartments are so high that sometimes a call to the doorman is necessary to find out what the weather is like on the ground. A comprehensive number of services are provided in the building, which also has its own post office, garbage collection, and supermarket. Technically, if you live and work in the John Hancock, you never have to leave it - an Orwellian thought indeed.
I learned that Batman founded Melbourne.
But overall the book was pretty dull, with not even any interesting pictures to distract me.
The forward was more interesting than the book was.
Like towering divas, skyscrapers command the urban stage. They hold us enthralled, leaving us anticipating and half-fearing their next majestic manifestation. The roles played by the skyscraper are many: they are icons of cities, stars of movies, symbols of corporate power, and the place where many of us report to work every morning. Deemed both avatars and annihilators of civilized life, they have been praised as efficient space savers and denounced as rapacious consumers of light and air. In short, the skyscraper's bold visual gestalt, one layered with multiple meanings, has become a complex metaphor for all that is good and bad about the twentieth century.
And the interview at the very beginning of the book with architect Phillip Johnson had some gems in it.
I think the interesting question is why does man want to build to the sky. What is there about the desire for domination, or to reach God, or for private pride - the Pyramids are an example of that, but the tall building is certainly another.... In the commercial world, the skyscraper came into existence because we didn't have any religion to express. But it was an expression, not the result of economic needs. It was an expression that wanted to reach the heavens...
They are claiming the cost of land - in Manhattan, for instance - creates skyscrapers. Well, if it's the cost of land, then why are they building skyscrapers in China?...
I have to say the skyscraper is finished. Why would I, a builder of many tall buildings, say such a thing? Because there is no economic need for them. It's pride. Skyscrapers will always be fancy, they will always be expensive, they will always be extra....
JD: Interesting that they're both women [The Statue of Liberty and Athena].
PJ: That's easy, we idolize them at the same time we look down on them. Cultures are funny. The Greeks never had women active in their society, but they built statues of them and worshiped them. Power is inexplicable, like love...
JD: Do you have any regrets after your long career?
PJ: I'm in mid-career.
LOL He was 90 at the time of this interview. But he did end up living until age 99. :p
Tl;dr - So... was this a worthwhile read? I'm going to have to say 'no.' Even though I learned a few new things, the book was full of dull text and dull pictures. If you are fascinated by skyscrapers or architecture, it might be worth a look. If not, skip it. It's not worth it.
March 8, 2023
Great collection - get it from the library because it is a tall book - regardless a great book for all ages, I recommend it !
December 30, 2009
nice overview of skyscrapers built in the 20th century (for the most part). this book is a bit spooky as it is a pre-9/11 edition, so the world trade center still towers on its pages.
March 23, 2022
I think that it was a very well written book. Every page has a different building/structure. It has the history of when they were built, who built it and just interesting facts about the building. Definitely recommend it if you like skyscrapers and a short history about them. Also, it's a ridiculously tall book.
July 24, 2014
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
This is a gorgeous book that is beautifully presented and written. I love that the publisher did this in a tall book format - so appropriate for the subject.
The book is laid out chronologically: the earliest skyscrapers (arguably starting with Home Insurance in Chicago) and continuing on not only to those just finished in the last two years but also projected skyscrapers for which groundbreaking has begun. Each skyscraper is given a great bit of history write up and includes a full page image with facts about the building overlaid on top. The photographs chosen for each building are exquisite - beautifully done both photographically and architecturally. As a photographer myself, I was marveling at the images and sighing with pleasure. But as the daughter of an architect, I also greatly appreciated the layout and presentation of each building's history. Images of artists as well as pictures or paintings help complete the picture of the skyscraper - it's so much more than just an image and a bunch of text.
Interspersed between the 100+ skyscrapers are interviews with architects, discussions of cities known for their skyscrapers (e.g., Dubai), and more There is also a list of the 100 tallest buildings at the back of the book. Since the book is formatted by each skyscraper, it makes it easy to follow and digest - in short bursts or one great read.
This really is an incredibly well done and presented, informative and fascinating, history of Skyscrapers. Absolutely highly recommend this book.
Received as an ARC from the publisher
May 29, 2023
A great book with interesting information on the history and design ideas behind important skyscrapers throughout history. The physical format - tall and narrow, like a skyscraper - is a blessing and a curse. It is too tall to lug around in any of the usual bags, backpacks, etc., that one would usually use, and can be rather unwieldy to position and read. However, the format allows making the best use of high quality black and white images of each building.
There are two drawbacks that had me deduct one star. First, as other critiques have pointed out, it would have been good to have at least a few color photos, especially of buildings where color is a unique, distinguishing design element of the building. Second, having read the 2008 edition checked out from the local library in 2023, it might have been better if several of the "to be completed in...." buildings had been left out, especially if they were not very far along in getting built as of the time of the writing. There were several buildings, perhaps most noticeably the Chicago Spire, which had many promising words written about them in the book, but never got built.
There are two drawbacks that had me deduct one star. First, as other critiques have pointed out, it would have been good to have at least a few color photos, especially of buildings where color is a unique, distinguishing design element of the building. Second, having read the 2008 edition checked out from the local library in 2023, it might have been better if several of the "to be completed in...." buildings had been left out, especially if they were not very far along in getting built as of the time of the writing. There were several buildings, perhaps most noticeably the Chicago Spire, which had many promising words written about them in the book, but never got built.
December 9, 2020
Very Interesting - (2008 edition) 3.5 rounded down
An overview of "skyscrapers" - from the Washington Monument in D.C. 1884 and the
Home Insurance Building in Chicago 1885 through the Burj Khalifa (formerly Burj Dubai) in United Arab Emirates, and some buildings that never came to completion. Book is printed in a 7.5" x 18" format with building photo on left page, text discussion on right. My edition was black and white, although there appears to be a color one available. (Some reviewers complained, I didn't find it a problem)
I enjoyed not only the development of skyscrapers, but how they reacted to zoning, technology and geography. I was never interested in architecture, but the one page summary of each building often made me look at the photo closely and go - "oh yeah" - including buildings I've seen and even been in.
Lots of Google use to learn more - always a good sign. Disclaimer - my wife was a municipal planner - so I made points at home reading it. She is starting it now.
An overview of "skyscrapers" - from the Washington Monument in D.C. 1884 and the
Home Insurance Building in Chicago 1885 through the Burj Khalifa (formerly Burj Dubai) in United Arab Emirates, and some buildings that never came to completion. Book is printed in a 7.5" x 18" format with building photo on left page, text discussion on right. My edition was black and white, although there appears to be a color one available. (Some reviewers complained, I didn't find it a problem)
I enjoyed not only the development of skyscrapers, but how they reacted to zoning, technology and geography. I was never interested in architecture, but the one page summary of each building often made me look at the photo closely and go - "oh yeah" - including buildings I've seen and even been in.
Lots of Google use to learn more - always a good sign. Disclaimer - my wife was a municipal planner - so I made points at home reading it. She is starting it now.
July 24, 2025
Een mooi overzicht van de belangrijke wolkenkrabbers 1884–1998. Imposant van formaat en vorm, wat de grote langwerpige foto’s op de linkerpagina goed tot hun recht laat komen. De tekst op de rechterpagina is niet erg enerverend. Hier zou gemiddeld genomen een alinea kunnen worden verruild voor extra (detail)foto’s waardoor de structuur en opbouw van de betreffende krabber duidelijker voor te stellen is.
January 27, 2018
Very interesting read.
February 27, 2018
I love this book.
November 12, 2021
Dated by 20 years so current tallest buildings are not included. Easy read here and there. Great book format.
November 16, 2022
Fantastic book. Great layout. Simple, engaging and informative sections. Fun to have around to re-read.
Want to read
July 31, 202510 t13 2x
June 10, 2023
The title does describe this book quite accurately- this book takes us through the tallest buildings in the world- as of 2014.
I purchased this book for two reasons- I've worked in an architectural office, I'm interested in the history of architecture as well as the future of architecture. I'm also an amateur photographer and I have an interest in architectural photography.
This is not an architectural text book, you don't need to possess a knowledge of the history of modern architecture to enjoy this book. If you're interested in a photographic journey to the tallest skyscrapers in the world, you will enjoy this book. Judith Dupre and Adrian Smith also tell us about the architects who designed the buildings which we read about in this book, and this book also takes us into the design processes which the architects had worked through.
a brief note: as of 2023, this book is a little bit out of date by now because there have been a handful of buildings in some cities throughout the world which are as tall as the buildings which are covered in this book, and there are some architecture firms in some countries which are presently in the process of designing buildings which will exceed the heights of some of the buildings which are covered in this book if the buildings which are presently being designed are built. However- while there are some skyscrapers which exceed 1000 feet in height which have been built in some cities throughout the world since 2014, I don't know of any newer books which have been written about the tallest buildings in the world since 2014- therefore if you're interested in this topic, until either Judith Dupre and Adrian Smith write a newer edition of this book or until someone else writes a new book about the tallest buildings in the world, this is one of the most comprehensive books about this topic, so if you are interested in this topic I do highly recommend this book, you won't be disappointed at all.
I purchased this book for two reasons- I've worked in an architectural office, I'm interested in the history of architecture as well as the future of architecture. I'm also an amateur photographer and I have an interest in architectural photography.
This is not an architectural text book, you don't need to possess a knowledge of the history of modern architecture to enjoy this book. If you're interested in a photographic journey to the tallest skyscrapers in the world, you will enjoy this book. Judith Dupre and Adrian Smith also tell us about the architects who designed the buildings which we read about in this book, and this book also takes us into the design processes which the architects had worked through.
a brief note: as of 2023, this book is a little bit out of date by now because there have been a handful of buildings in some cities throughout the world which are as tall as the buildings which are covered in this book, and there are some architecture firms in some countries which are presently in the process of designing buildings which will exceed the heights of some of the buildings which are covered in this book if the buildings which are presently being designed are built. However- while there are some skyscrapers which exceed 1000 feet in height which have been built in some cities throughout the world since 2014, I don't know of any newer books which have been written about the tallest buildings in the world since 2014- therefore if you're interested in this topic, until either Judith Dupre and Adrian Smith write a newer edition of this book or until someone else writes a new book about the tallest buildings in the world, this is one of the most comprehensive books about this topic, so if you are interested in this topic I do highly recommend this book, you won't be disappointed at all.
June 1, 2020
Comprato sull’onda dell’entusiasmo per la visita dell’edificio più alto del mondo nel 2020 e per la riflessione di quale meraviglia ingegneristica siano i grattacieli, questo libro fotografico con un formato particolarissimo del quale mi sono reso conto solo quando l’ho ricevuto per posta, mi è piaciuto moltissimo sia esteticamente che sul piano tecnico. Ogni civiltà umana ha sempre creato edifici che vanno in alto, più in alto possibile. Tutte le religioni vedono le loro divinità “in alto”. È una caratteristica insopprimibile dello spirito umano, questo anelito verso l’alto che in Europa nel passato si esprimeva con le cattedrali gotiche e oggi nel mondo con i grattacieli. Monumento all’Ingegneria e all’Ingegno umano.
March 16, 2010
quote
This magnificent tour presents a fascinating look at fifty of the greatest skyscrapers in the world. Breathtaking photographs capture details often missed by the naked eye; architectural drawings and pictures of works-in-progress take you behind the scenes and enrich your understanding of the efforts involved in erecting many of the buildings; facts-at-a-glance charts give you the vital statistics, including the location of the structure, its height, the primary architect, the date of completion, materials used, and information about its place in architectural history.
This magnificent tour presents a fascinating look at fifty of the greatest skyscrapers in the world. Breathtaking photographs capture details often missed by the naked eye; architectural drawings and pictures of works-in-progress take you behind the scenes and enrich your understanding of the efforts involved in erecting many of the buildings; facts-at-a-glance charts give you the vital statistics, including the location of the structure, its height, the primary architect, the date of completion, materials used, and information about its place in architectural history.
March 26, 2020
Anyone eager to educate himself and learn more about all the tall and modern buildings that intrigue and marvel us when we visit cities around the world from New York in the US; Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong in Asia; London in Europe and Dubai in the Middle East will certainly find this coffee table book a good starting point. To me it at least gives a better understanding and greater appreciation of the architects and engineers behind many of these marvellous and yet aesthetic masterpieces. Thank you Judith Dupre.
February 1, 2023
Ever since I was little, I've been fascinated by skyscrapers and skylines, so selecting this book seemed like a no-brainer. The book did not disappoint. It is full of history concerning the evolution of towers across the planet. It also explained how significant these buildings are to their creators and residences. For example, the Burj Khalifa is meaningful in Dubai as a beacon of progress and great fortune. We see a surplus of examples like these, and it unlocks a new understanding of cultures
March 12, 2008
A beautiful coffee table book with gorgeous b/w photos of skyscrapers and well-written histories of each famous building. This book is extremely tall and narrow, could never fit on any bookshelf, so I checked it out of the library.
Read
August 2, 2011The shape of this book definitely does justice to the incredible buildings. It's not up-to-date, since Taipei 101 and Burj Dubai are not mentioned. The show goes on, even if a few buildings come crumbling down every once in a while.
May 12, 2017
A nice book for a Sunday afternoon read or occasional perusal. Lots of good photographs, statistical information, and anecdotal insights about the significance of each building. The information of the World Trade Center towers makes it poignant and nice to have available for future generations.
July 2, 2018
Probably the best skyscraper book out there. The Book includes amazing pictures of each building along with a brief history of each building. Buildings from the past present and future take center stage and shine in their own unique ways, just like in the skylines the grace across the globe.
July 24, 2022
Beautifully illustrated, the most odd-sized book I have ever read. The order of the descriptions of the buildings seemed be be somehow random (for example, general information about towers and no towers were described in detail).
February 27, 2015
Awesome look at skyscrapers around the world.
July 19, 2014
Beautiful coffee table book. I wish the organization would have been a little clearer, so that it wasn’t so hard to find the largest buildings, but still very interesting and beautifully presented.
July 2, 2018
Great photos, would love two pages of photos for each building
June 15, 2019
Visually fascinating, with lush photos.
July 9, 2021
A beautifully photographed and fascinating look into the evolution of skyscrapers. Worth looking at even for someone with no interest in architecture.
Read
January 6, 20242299669
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews