1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die: The World's Architectural Masterpieces

by Mark Irving (Editor)

"1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die" is a visual testament to the beauty, grace, and fortitude of the world's greatest architectural achievements.

Beginning in the ancient and Near East, the book explores middle age Byzantine and Gothic examples such as Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, goes on to St Paul's Cathedral, London and continues through the Chrysler Building, New York City, with its art deco metal pinnacle, to splendid contemporary innovations such as Norman Foster's Reichstag parliament building, Berlin and Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles.

The book is not only concerned with size - it also includes some of the world's most remarkable domestic buildings, such as the Mongolian yurt and houses of the American pioneers, as well as railway buildings, chapels, casinos, concert halls, gentlemen's clubs, and museums, cherished often for the way they represent and capture a particular moment in history in their details and atmosphere.

"1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die" is the complete companion to the outstanding architecture of the world. A fascinating mixture of familiar landmarks and little-known gems.

Genres: Architecture, Travel, Art, Reference, Nonfiction, Design

960 pages, Hardcover

First published October 23, 2007

Reviews

[Chantal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book about different kinds of architecture. Loved looking at the pictures and reading the text. I wished sometimes there would have been more pictures. This book is a lot of fun.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not necessarily the best book about architecture ever by any means, but probably one of the most entertaining and attractive, and oddly compelling and addictive overviews of noteworthy buildings that I've read. And for those who don't "get" modernism and futurism and all those other mid-century movements, it provides a really sensitive and approachable guide to the core values driving these aesthetic philosophies.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book quite a lot. Now there are even more places I want to go, and it reaffirmed my desire to go to India. But the big problem with this book, at least for me, was the way it was arranged. It starts with buildings from the Ancient World, continues on with Empire to Revolution then onwards finishing with Fast into the Future. I would have found it more useful if the arrangement was by country, which is how one would tour them. And I would have included Mount St. Michael and Carcassonne (guess that is technically not one building). But wouldn't it be just awful to be a few miles away from either of those marvels and drive right by?

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abandoned on page 120 of 960. The title is completely unrealistic, I think you’d have to devote your life to seeing these buildings and you’d still miss some due to their location. But I suppose it’s the fashionable title at the moment. The real problem with the book is the 1001 buildings it’s covering. The book is really fat, therefore heavy and hard to hold. You’re not going to want to lug it round with you to consult while trying to see the buildings. Despite its size though some buildings don’t manage a photo and the information on each is very basic. If you come across a copy spend five minutes flicking through it for some photos of fun buildings but otherwise skip.

[Sarah Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent resource for anyone travelling who wants to visit some of the must-see buildings or structures in the world. There are some quirky items as well as the usual list of stately homes or religious buildings.

I would have really appreciated maps either in the book or in a linked website to make it easier to find buildings close to where I was travelling without lengthy cross-referencing.

[Lise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've seen 44.

[Line · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great for giving an overview of noteworthy buildings and styles, and truly makes me realize how little I've seen of the world.

The buildings are organized chronologically, which in one way is great: You get an idea of the history and evoltion of architecture and how much styles and techniques could vary from this side of the world to that.
On the other hand, it might've been more practical to put them chronologically by country, or even place, so that if you were going to, say, London and wanted to see some of the buildings there, you could have all London buildings gathered in one section.

Also, there are some really good photos, but I wish there would've been more, or at least one for each bulding. It's not the same learning about a building without the visual.

[RayDiant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like this book but I have issues with it. The statistics of the book don't stack up for me. Over an eighth of the entries are in the UK. One out of 8 of all the great buildings existing in world are in the United Kingdom?? Canada with half the population of the UK (with, admittedly, a much shorter history) gets a lowly 1%.

The book has most of the world's iconic buildings but misses quite a few buildings and architects. Raymond Moriyama (getting back to Canada) and his innovative buildings built in the 60s and 70s are completely missing. Do a Google image search on Ontario Science Centre or Scarborough Civic Centre to get some idea.

[Charlie Fortnum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great coffee table book to flip through, but it is not convenient to as a travel guide or thoroughly indexed. A list of the buildings by city, but not much about the buildings, can be found at "http://asnotedin.com/?action=accolade...".

I like these "list" books because the author/editor has taken a stand, but I don't know if the newer buildings in this book, like Mason's Bend Community Center and Lexington's Big Dig House, will be considered masterpieces in twenty years.

[Jeff Verthein]

I don't pick up this book enough, considering how much I enjoy studying it's pages. Beautiful pictures take prominence (with my favorite building right there on the cover) and the brief synopses of cultural significance or technological acheivement are satisfying enough -- just don't expect in-depth architectural analysis.

[Arlene Caruso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a sucker for architecture. The Flatiron Building gives me the chills. So this book is a lot of fun for me. It's armchair travel at its most interesting.

[Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful coffee-table book.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pictures 5, text 3

[E. G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Preface
Introduction
Buildings Index

--1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die

Glossary
Location Index
Contributors
Picture Credits
Acknowledgments

[Jasmine Fokkens · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have seen until now 121 of these buildings