A Guide to Fort St. George by Sriram V.

The oldest Anglican church east of the Suez, the first British inscription in India, the tallest flagstaff in the country and the only surviving national flag among those hoisted all over India on August 15, 1947,

These are but some of the treasures that Fort St. George, Chennai, holds within its precincts.

This is a guide that tells the visitor what to look for in this citadel, and where.
 

[Description Source: Back cover of the book]


Ratings
Goodreads Rating - 3 out of 5 ( 1 Ratings , 0 Reviews  - As on July 7 2017)
My Rating:  3 out of 5
My Comments: Quite interesting. A handy book to take along when you visit Fort St. George ,Chennai.



 
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The Penguin Guide to Vaastu - Sashikala Ananth

The Classical Indian Science of Architecture and Design

The Penguin Guide to Vaastu is a meticulously researched book that seeks to place the ancient Indian art of Vaastu in its proper perspective as a highly evolved science. 
Almost fifteen hundred years before modern Architecture came into its own, Vaastu Shastra, the Classical Indian treatise on architecture, had set down principles of good planning and design which have been in practice in this country ever since.
Today, people expect a Vaastu application to provide them instant cures and unending prosperity by relocating an entrance, window or room. 
However, Ananth, in this meticulously researched book, seeks to place Vaastu in its proper perspective as a highly evolved science, ridding it of the myths surrounding it. 
She examines the schools of thought existing in the tradition, the system's application, and the responsibilities of the designer.
Supplemented with beautiful illustrations, this book is an authoritative text which combines traditional wisdom with the needs of a modern and transitional society. 

[From the back cover notes] 

Ratings
Goodreads Rating - 2.25 out of 5 (4 Ratings; 1 Review)

My Rating:  2 out of 5.  

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Indian Art - Partha Mitter

This concise yet lively new survey guides the reader through 5,000 years of Indian art and architecture. 
A rich artistic tradition is fully explored through the Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic, Colonial, and contemporary periods, incorporating discussion of modern Bangladesh and Pakistan, tribal artists, and the decorative arts.
Combining a clear overview with fascinating detail, Mitter succeeds in bringing to life the true diversity of Indian culture. 
The influence of Islam on the Mughal court, which produced the world-famous Taj Mahal and exquisite miniature paintings, is closely examined.
More recently, he discusses the nationalist and global concerns of contemporary art, including the rise of female artists, the stunning architecture of Charles Correa, and the vibrant art scene. 
 The very particular character of Indian art is set within its cultural and religious milieu, raising important issues about the profound differences between Western and Indian ideas of beauty and eroticism in art.

 [Book Description Source: www.amazon.com]

Goodreads Rating - 3.74 out of 5 (27 Ratings, 1 Review)

My Rating:  4 out of 5. 

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The Art of India by Nigel Cawthorne

Book Synopsis  (inside cover description) 
---------------------------
The diverse art of the Indian subcontinent spans many centuries and a variety of styles.  
The Art of India is an account of the major movements that have influenced and affected the face of India since ancient times. 
The book covers Hindu art from the temples and literature of one of the world's oldest religions, the rise of sculpture and monumental art from the Mauryan Dynasty, Buddhist shrines and Janism, the Mughals, and Islamic art. 
With a collection of more than sixty spectacular pictures, The Art of India illustrates the major works, whether expressed in paint, clay, wood, metal, stone, or brick, that characterize the art of one of the oldest civilizations in the world.
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 My Comments: 
A  light-weight (90 odd pages) coffee table book with several full-page pictures. A fairly good introduction to the art of India.
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Goodreads Rating - 4.17 out of 5 ( 6 Ratings)

 
 

50 Architecture Ideas You Really Need to Know

Author:         Philip Wilkinson
Published:   2010
Publisher:    Quercus
Hardcover:  208 pages
 

This book consists of concise 4 page descriptions of 50 key ideas that have influenced Western architecture from the time of ancient Greek civilization till present times.

These ideas cover a wide range of fields - technology, decoration, planning, craftsmanship, interpreting the past, building for the future.

The first half of the book covers the rich past of architecture from its roots in the Grecian style to the revolutionary developments of the late 19th century. It shows that architect and builders of this period  apart from creating plethora of historical styles were also progenitors of ideas like prefabrication and the garden city which is still of interest to modern architects. The second half of the book is about the 20th century architecture. It first deals with modernist architecture which is shorn of extraneous decoration and has exploited materials like glass and steel. It then deals with a variety of new ideas in which have cropped up in last few decades.

There are  photographs and drawings to illustrate each idea, however it would have been better if  the book had the photographs of all the buildings and monuments mentioned in it.

Though not an ideal introductory book on architecture it is a fairly good reference book

Architecture Ideas  Described in this book:

From Greece to the Renaissance:
The Orders,Roman engineering,Gothic,Renaissance,Palladianism, Baroque.

Change and Taste:
The Grand Tour, Industrial Architecture, Taste,Rococo,Genius Loci,The Picturesque,Neo-Classicism, Reason, Orientalism,Restoration. 

Revival and Renewal:
Revivalism,Prefabrication,Beaux Arts,Arts and Crafts,Conservation,The City Beautiful, Art Nouveau,Garden City.

Modernism around the World:
Skyscraper, Futurism, Expressionism,De Stijl,Constructivism,Bauhaus,The International Style, Minimalism,Art Deco,Organic architecture,Dymaxion Design, Segregated Planning, Heritage, Brutalism.

New Directions:
Neorationalism, Archigram, Metabolist Architecture, Townscape, Structuralism, Regionalism, Postmodernism, Contemporary Classicism, High-tech, Alternative Architecture, Deconstructivism, Green architecture.

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