The Four Books of Architecture

by Andrea Palladio, Isaac Ware (Translator)

First published in four volumes in Venice in 1570, "The Four Books of Architecture" is the important architectural treatise by the famed Italian architect Andrea Palladio. Often considered to be one of the most important and influential figures in the history of architecture, Palladio's designs in the city of Vicenza are designated a World Heritage Site and have inspired countless architects and artists. Palladio's seminal work was first published in English in 1663 and remains widely read and studied. The four volumes of Palladio's work cover every important aspect of architecture and design. The first book examines materials, techniques, elements, and defines the five classic orders, Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian and composite, and all their respective parts. The second part explores the design of private residences, such as city townhouses and country estates. The third book addresses city planning issues, such as streets, public spaces, and places of worship. The fourth and final book describes the design of specific Roman temples and structures, including detailed measurements, both of buildings that were still standing and those that could be found only in ruin. Palladio's classic work is an essential addition to the library of everyone who studies and appreciates architecture and design. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper and follows the translation of Isaac Ware.

Genres: Architecture, Art, Nonfiction, Design, Reference, History, Urbanism

338 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1570

About the author

Italian architect Andrea Palladio developed a style, based on the classicism of ancient Rome and breaking with the ornate conventions of the Renaissance; his works include the villa Rotonda and the palazzo Chiericati in Vicenza.

Four Books of Architecture , derived in great part from Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, elaborated the principles of Andrea Palldio; people widely adopted these principles and consequently often consider him the most influential individual in the history of west, "valued for centuries as the quintessence of high Renaissance calm and harmony," according to David Watkin in A History of Western Architecture .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_...

Reviews

[زاهي رستم]

أندريا بالاديو معماري رائع... وقد أسس مدرسة وفلسفة مما ورثه عن فيتروفيوس.. وسميت فلسفته البلادية التي اجتاحت العالم كله.. وقد كان لي الشرف أن أكون واحداً من الفريق الذي نقله إلى العربية.. وهو مشروع نقوم به.. لتعريب العديد من أمهات الكتب، لتعم الفائدة على عموم قراء العربية.

كتاب رائع.

[Joe Michalak]

The book provides wonderful commentary on Roman architecture, and amazingly detailled drawings from the author. In fact, for the content, I would likely rate this book 4 stars.

However, the Dover edition... not great. First of all, not much is gained by leaving the old english typography. If you have an aversion to the printed letter S this is the book for you. Secondly, better judgement could've been made in matching the drawings with the text. There would be about 10 chapters, talking about 10 different buildings/topics, and then 20-30 pages of the drawings, which means a lot of unnecessary page turning. It would be a much more pleasant experience if the text was nearer to the drawings.

[J. Baranzelli]

I have been holding off on reviewing this one because I really dont have anything to say about it
It pretty much just felt like a continuation of vitruvius which I guess would be the goal. I enjoyed many of the illustrations in this book but I found the descriptions of buildings mind numbing

[Lydia]

A classic from the Venetian architect of the 16th century. This is a great translation in modern English. Palladio said all architecture should have "Firmness, Commodity, and Delight." His style was copied by Jefferson and used for the U.S. Capitol, among others. Excellent reference.

[Ned]

I stare at the pictures for hours trying to cement the proportions in my visual memory . . .

[Poet for fun]

Por el contenido, le daré al libro cinco estrellas, pero la edición es terrible y ameritaría una sola (o ninguna): los textos escaneados del ejemplar impreso no fueron revisados, y así, el programa confundió las letras u y v, asignándolas indistintamente y, por si fuera poco, en muchas ocasiones volteó la letra u, la cual quedó como n en bastantes palabras. Es probable que la edición impresa usase un tipo de fuente estilisado, ya que la mayoría de las letras s (no todas) aparecen escritas utilizando una consonante bastante parecida a la f, lo cual complica de por más la lectura. El programa también transformó la letra i en j para aquellas palabras que acaban con doble i. En resúmen: lectura complicada innecesaria y gratuitamente, pero, aun así, deleitosa.

[Paul]

Nicely illustrated guide to various classical structures and design laws which Palladio had inferred from studying them. The section on building materials was an interesting case of people stumbling on rules of thumbs (e.g. around sand types) which they didn't quite understand because of a lack of the science of chemistry. Worth it if only for its historical importance.

[Fernando Danieli]

I visited his villas and churches in the Veneto. A great architect for the centuries and a profund thinker of space and form. He was also a theoretical mind.

[Davide Tronchin]

Illuminante

[Camerun Coleman]

if you build your house in the valley your people will be sick and stupid.

[Juli Anna]

skimmed this, rather than reading the whole text. very technical and dull, but definitely worth glancing at if you have any interest in domestic architecture. also, this was one of Thomas Jefferson's favorites, and you can really see its influence on the architecture of Monticello.

[ben c]

useful sort-of in the library / occasionally
(interesting [conjectured drawing based on written description] of Caesars bridge over the river Rhine going into Germania - technically challenging ,

[Vanlilith]

-

[Shannon]

Excellent resource for new "simple rules" for better building design!

[Luke Krzysztofiak]

Outstanding reintroduction to ANDREA PALLADIO. My personal favorite architect.

[Ondřej Šefčík]

Absolute classic for anyone interested in the classical art and architecture.

[Lamsa Gamal]

كنت محتاج الكتاب كامل باللغه العربيه يا جماعه مش لاقيه خالص كامل ياريت حد يساعدني