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A Short History of an Idea

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Paperback
$16.00 US
5.09"W x 7.73"H x 0.72"D   | 8 oz | 48 per carton
On sale Jul 07, 1987 | 272 Pages | 978-0-14-010231-4
Walk through five centuries of homes both great and small—from the smoke-filled manor halls of the Middle Ages to today's Ralph Lauren-designed environments—on a house tour like no other, one that delightfully explicates the very idea of "home."

You'll see how social and cultural changes influenced styles of decoration and furnishing, learn the connection between wall-hung religious tapestries and wall-to-wall carpeting, discover how some of our most welcome luxuries were born of architectural necessity, and much more. Most of all, Home opens a rare window into our private lives—and how we really want to live.

"Here is a book that will change thew ay you look at your house or apartment—for the better."
People

"Rybczynski's style is as loose and, yes, as comfortable as a down-filled comforter."
The Christian Science Monitor

"Sensible and stylish"
Newsweek

"It's a bracing, irreverent, worldly wise book."
Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Home is serious, historically minded, and exquisitely readable. It is a triumph of intelligence."
The New Yorker

Witold Rybczynski is an architect and emeritus professor of urbanism at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of twenty-one books, including the best-selling Home, City Life, and The Story of Architecture. He lives in Philadelphia. View titles by Witold Rybczynski
Home Foreword
Chapter One: Nostalgia
*Two: Intimacy and Privacy
*Three: Domesticity
*Four: Commodity and Delight
*Five: Ease
*Six: Light and Air
*Seven: Efficiency
*Eight: Style and Substance
*Nine: Austerity
*Ten: Comfort and Well-Being
Notes
Index

About

Walk through five centuries of homes both great and small—from the smoke-filled manor halls of the Middle Ages to today's Ralph Lauren-designed environments—on a house tour like no other, one that delightfully explicates the very idea of "home."

You'll see how social and cultural changes influenced styles of decoration and furnishing, learn the connection between wall-hung religious tapestries and wall-to-wall carpeting, discover how some of our most welcome luxuries were born of architectural necessity, and much more. Most of all, Home opens a rare window into our private lives—and how we really want to live.

Praise

"Here is a book that will change thew ay you look at your house or apartment—for the better."
People

"Rybczynski's style is as loose and, yes, as comfortable as a down-filled comforter."
The Christian Science Monitor

"Sensible and stylish"
Newsweek

"It's a bracing, irreverent, worldly wise book."
Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Home is serious, historically minded, and exquisitely readable. It is a triumph of intelligence."
The New Yorker

Author

Witold Rybczynski is an architect and emeritus professor of urbanism at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of twenty-one books, including the best-selling Home, City Life, and The Story of Architecture. He lives in Philadelphia. View titles by Witold Rybczynski

Table of Contents

Home Foreword
Chapter One: Nostalgia
*Two: Intimacy and Privacy
*Three: Domesticity
*Four: Commodity and Delight
*Five: Ease
*Six: Light and Air
*Seven: Efficiency
*Eight: Style and Substance
*Nine: Austerity
*Ten: Comfort and Well-Being
Notes
Index