Here's something for your inner architect: a compendium of 5,000 years of the world's greatest architecture. Arranged chronologically beginning with Turkey's ancient Citadel of Uchisar (around 3,000 BC) and ending with Barcelona, Spain's not-yet-completed Sagrada Familia by Antoni Gaudi, the buildings include examples of every major achitectural style — from Roman and Islamic to Art Deco and Art Nouveau to Modernism and Deonstructionism.
Each entry in this celebration of such distinguished architects as Ustad Ahmad Lahauri (the Taj Mahal), Philip Johnson (Glass House), Moshe Safdie (Habitat), Fallingbrook (Frank Lloyd Wright) and many more, includes a large colour photograph and text written by London-based researcher Paul Cattermole. A couple of hours with this beautiful book and you'll impress your friends and improve your mind.
Architectural Excellence: 500 Iconic Buildings, by Paul Cattermole (Firefly Books, $49.95).
— Cecily Ross
