Sets out both the broad sweep and the detail of Western architectural heritage in over 1,200 coherently organized essays. The book looks at architects, designers, architectural styles, detail and ornament, building types (ecclesiastical, domestic, civic, educational and entertainment), structural terms, building materials and much more. To guide the reader in locating references to topics which are not the subject of separate articles, there is a separate index to over 4,000 subjects. Over 1000 drawings and photographs accompany the text.