The Architecture of the Eighteenth Century

Architectural historian Sir John Summerson, professor of fine art in Britain and curator for 39 years at Sir John Soane's Museum describes the rise of neoclassicism after 1750. Making the point that the transition from Baroque was marked by ""a plurality of styles,'' Summerson goes on to provide a historical context for the changeover, examines town-planning and looks at individual buildingsmuseums, libraries, prisons, theaters and banks. In the concluding chapter he discerns the echoes of Versailles in Washington, D.C., which he judges ``the one great triumph of urban planning in 18th century America.'' Some 174 illustrations, consisting of plans, photographs and drawings, embellish this satisfying summary of the period. (February)