This handy volume is a guide to decoding a building's style, history and evolution. Every building contains clues embedded in its design that identify not only its architectural style but also the story of who designed it, who it was built for and why it was built. Small enough to fit in a pocket vet serious enough to provide real answers, this one-of-a-kind handbook is a must-have for anvone who loves architecture. Beginning with a guide to building types, architectural styles and materials, each chapter takes an arcliitectural element and looks at its variety across historv and geographical location. Examples are shown through dozens of fine engravings with extended captions, creating an effective at-a-glanee guide. A final section examines the significance of decorative ornament. Packed with architectural and historical fact and detail, this attractive, highly informative handbook will engage anvone who has pondered the meaning of a Corinthian column, the importance of a rounded doorway or the origins of a Classical pediment.