House of Leleu: Classic French Style for a Modern World, 1920-1973 Book

Professor Francis D.K. Ching's A Visual Dictionary of Architecture is the most useful tool I have found yet for understanding the descriptive terminology used in the diverse field of architecture. It is general yet broad enough to be useful to students, architects, contractors, historians, preservationists, etc. who have an interest in and/or desire to know what to call the complex components of everyday (as well as many common typology) buildings. The blend of visual imagery with short descriptions makes this book an invaluable reference in writing about architecture. Not only are the illustrations gorgeous, but the explanations are succinct and comprehensible.

The book is organized into 68 broad, basic architectural categories (such as door, flooring, hardware, heat, plumbing, structure, etc.) that then have full-page illustrations showing the diverse types of architectural details/terms along with hand-drafted drawings associated with the broader theme. This allows for quick, comparative presentations of related but differentiated details. Most users, however, will use the book as a back-to-front reference. For this purpose, the rear index allows for quick reference in finding terms you want defined or clarified. For example, perhaps you want to know if you should refer to a certain part of the building as a "stoop," a "porch," or a "portico"--looking up any of these words will refer you to a page number under the umbrella category "Building" that illustrates and describes the various differences among the three terms. I highly recommend this book if you plan to write about buildings, and/or if you appreciate beautiful architectural illustrations (as the latter suggests, it can double as a coffee table book).