A Universal History of Architecture

The success of "A Universal History of Architecture" by the French civil engineer and former adjunct professor at the Polytechnic School, Auguste Choisy (1841-1909), can be attributed to several reasons. Firstly, the breadth of the author's conceived plan: the books present the stages of architectural development from prehistoric times; the states of the Ancient East, antiquity, including India, China, Japan; European countries in the Middle Ages, modern and contemporary times. Secondly, the scientific rigor of the researcher, who meticulously described the buildings, their individual parts, materials and methods of application, construction techniques, and based on years of direct personal experience, made bold assumptions, providing grounds for reflection on his architectural hypotheses for other scholars who follow him. Finally, Choisy's work is a professional's perspective on the history of the formation and development of human society through the prism of the interpenetration of various architectural techniques and forms. The current complete edition includes both volumes of "A Universal History of Architecture" by O. Choisy. The clear and easy style of presentation, the author's illustrations, and the commentary beneath the illustrations make the book understandable and interesting for the modern reader.