This comprehensive pocket guide to world architectural styles throughout history serves as an introduction to all periods and styles and as a tourists' companion for identifying and enjoying buildings in their settings. "The Complete Architecture Handbook" provides invaluable coverage of the world's architectural styles and has become a classic of its kind. Structured chronologically from the first ancient civilizations to the present day, the late distinguished architectural historian, Patrick Nuttgens, considers established historical styles, such as the Romanesque and Gothic eras, and further sub-categorizes the style into territory in order to describe different regional accents. Modern architecture authority, Richard Weston, brings the story up to date in this fully revised edition. Illustrated extensively throughout with clear, detailed plans, sections, and cutaway drawings, this book presents an invaluable resource for students, architects, and tourists alike.

Table of Contents:
Introduction 4; Landmarks in architectural history 5; The First Civilizations 7; Mesopotamia and Elam 8; Anatolia 8; Assyria and the new Babylon 9; The Persian and Sassanian Empires 10; Ancient Egypt 11; The Old Kingdom 15; The Middle Kingdom 16; The Ptolemaic and Roman Periods 19; The Ancient Greeks 20; The Aegean Civilizations 25; Athens 26; Sacred Sites of Greece 29; Italy, Sicily, and Asia Minor 31; The Romans 32; The Etruscans 34; Rome 35; Italy outside Rome 41; The Far-flung Colonies 42; South Asia: Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain Styles 44; India and Pakistan 46; Sri Lanka 50; Nepal, Tibet, and Burma 51; Java 51; Cambodia: the Khmer Style 52; China and Japan: Traditional Wooden Architecture 53; China 53; Japan 58; Pre-Hispanic America: Early Civilizations of Central and South America 63; From Teotihuacan to the Aztecs 64; The Region of the Maya 65; South America 66; Early Christian and Byzantine Styles 67; Rome 70; Ravenna 72; Venice and Sicily 73; Istanbul, Greece, and the Balkans 74; The Middle East and Armenia 76; Russia 76; Islam: Architecture of the Muslim World 77; The Western Middle East 80; Iran 82; Seljuk and Ottoman Styles 83; Central Asia 84; India and Pakistan 84; Western North Africa and Spain 86; Romanesque 87; Italy 89; Germany 90; France 92; Britain: Anglo-Saxon and Norman 93; Scandinavia 95; Castles in the Holy Land 96; Spain and Portugal 96; Gothic 97; France 103; England 105; Central and Eastern Europe 107; The Low Countries 109; Scandinavia 110; Spain and Portugal 110; Italy 111; Italian Renaissance 112; Florence 114; Rome 116. Venice and Vicenza 119; The Rest of Italy 121; The Spread of the Renaissance 122; France 122; Spain and Portugal 125; The Low Countries 126; Central Europe 127; Britain 128; Scandinavia 130; Russia 130; Baroque and Neo-Classicism 131; Rome 133; The Rest of Italy 134; France 135; Austria and Czechoslovakia 138; The Nineteenth Century 148; Britain 150; France 152; Germany and Austria 153; Russia and Eastern Europe 154; The Low Countries 154; Italy 155; Denmark 155; The United States and Canada 156; Turn of the Century 159; Britain 161; The United States 162; France and Italy 163; Spain 164; The Low Countries 164; Germany and Austria 165; Scandinavia and Poland 166; Modern 167; Britain 170; Germany and Austria 172; The Low Countries 173; Finland 174; Sweden and Denmark 174; Italy 175; France and Switzerland 176; Canada 177; The United States 180; Latin America 180; India, Japan, and Australia 181; Post-Modern 183; The United States 184; Britain 185; France 187; Germany, Austria, and Holland 188; Switzerland, Scandinavia, Finland, Japan, and Gulf States 189; South-East Asia and Australasia 190; Contemporary Pluralism 192; Spain and Portugal 194; Norway 195; Switzerland 196; Germany 197; Holland 198; Britain 199; The United States 200; Japan 200; Glossary 201; Index 204.