For students of architecture, one of those "must-haves".

If you're at all interested in architecture, this is really one of the unanimously acknowledged essential books to have and to study through. Ching covers every imaginable basic idea of architecture in a very clear, accessible, and readable manner, all using his own excellent hand-drawn sketches and diagrams and hand-lettered text. In fact, the presentation alone is like a case study in how to do it right; taken together, the book is an invaluable learning resource and guidebook.

The "I Ching" of Architecture.

An excellent introduction to architecture. However, I liked the old horizontal format better. The new edition has all the same illustrations but its vertical formal isn't as compelling. Ching is the master of free-hand sketching. In this book he covers the basic principles of architecture with copious illustrations and an easy to follow progression of ideas. It is great for first year students and frustrated architects alike. My only word of warning is that once you buy one of his volumes on architecture, it is hard to resist the others.

Disappointing - solely for architects, no-one else.

As a practicing civil engineer, I wanted a book that allowed me to add some architectural flavour to my houses. This book did not do that. It is really a coffee table book about the different ancient and modern architectural styles without really explaining how to practically go about adding such features.

I suppose in the architectural world all the flowery language and concepts mean something, but its practically useless to anyone outside.