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From The Critics
This volume is a delight to look at. It is well laid out and has a number of black-and-white illustrations on each page to complement the terms being defined. Organized in a handy A to Z format, entries include not only information about well-known architects, but also illustrated examples of major buildings. Users can find small architectural features, such as haunched beam defined, as well as essays on major firms, such as Herbert S. Newman Associates. Novices will find in topics such as arcade a basic definition of the term along with several informative illustrations. This volume is a handy compendium of architectural terms, building code nomenclature, material and construction jargon, and general building restoration terms. The emphasis is on "restoration, rehabilitation, renovation and adaptive use." Many significant examples are given with most text entries. The work bills itself as "a treasury of images, ideas, and answers" in architectural preservation. It lives up to its claimed reputation. In fact it was hard to put down and can provide the reader with a comprehensive introduction and review of the field...The work ends with a small section entitled "About the Author" on the final page. Overall, this is a very attractive, handy, easy-to-use compendium. Readers should compare this work with its companion also published by McGraw-Hill, Historic Preservation Handbook written by J. Kirk Irwin...Patrons will find this work useful in most reference collections.
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