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Whether you’re an architect, an urban planner, an architecture student, or just an architecture enthusiast, books are some of the best ways to expand your knowledge and understanding of the built environment and “learn from the greats.” Cityscapes give us a glimpse of metropolitan architecture but it's important to recognize where it all stems from. Architecture matters. That’s why we have compiled 25 of our favorite books for architects and architecture lovers.
Many of these books are popular pieces about architecture theory that seriously influenced the architectural profession—modern architecture and contemporary architecture are informed by these works. They represent the manifestos of specific architectural movements—think Venturi, Scott Brown, and Izenour’s Learning from Las Vegas and its relationship to the Postmodern movement. We also included great resource books that show how architectural drawings can truly be works of art. If you love flipping through beautifully detailed drawings, you’ll love Manual of Section or even A Visual Dictionary to Architecture.
Plus, if you’re looking for a gift for an architecture lover in your life, they might be missing an architectural classic that would complete their library. In this case, we think famous titles like the revolutionary Le Corbusier’s Towards a New Architecture or Rem Koolhaas’ Delirious New York are some great choices.
Scroll down for a taste of our favorite architecture books to add to your collection, and be sure to check out My Modern Met's Bookshop and our architecture collection for even more great titles.
Keep scrolling to find 25 great books about architecture.
A Visual Dictionary of Architecture by Francis D. K. Ching
Francis D. K. Ching | $55
The Architecture of Community by Léon Krier
Leon Krier | $56.35
The Architecture of Happiness by Alain de Botton
Alain De Botton | $23.20
The Architecture of the City by Aldo Rossi
Aldo Rossi | $54
Black: Architecture in Monochrome by Stella Paul and Phaidon Press
Stella Paul and Phaidon Press | $18.55
Cities for People by Jan Gehl
Jan Gehl | $65.55
Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture by Robert Venturi
Robert Venturi | $27.85
The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs
Jane Jacobs | $17.67
Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan by Rem Koolhaas
Rem Koolhaas | $32.55
Design Like You Give a Damn [2]: Building Change from the Ground Up by Architecture for Humanity
Architecture for Humanity | $47.12
The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses by Juhani Pallasmaa
Juhani Pallasmaa | $46.95
Experiencing Architecture by Steen Eiler Rasmussen
Steen Eiler Rasmussen | $42
The Four Books on Architecture by Andrea Palladio
Andrea Palladio | $46.45
The Future of Architecture in 100 Buildings by Marc Kushner
Marc Kushner | $20.45
In Praise of Shadows by Junichiro Tanazaki
Junichiro Tanizaki | $9.25
Jutaku: Japanese Houses by Naomi Pollock
Naomi Pollock | $23.20
Learning from Las Vegas by Robert Ventury, Denise Scott Brown, Steven Izenour
Lo—TEK. Design by Radical Indigenism by Julia Watson
Julia Watson | $46.50
Manual of Section by Marc Tsurumaki, David J. Lewis, Paul Lewis
A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction by Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein
The Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard
Gaston Bachelard | $16.74
The Ten Books on Architecture by Vitruvius
Vitruvius | $11.99
Towards a New Architecture by
Le Corbusier | $15.76
The Works: Anatomy of a City by Kate Ascher
Kate Ascher | $25.11
Yes Is More: An Archicomic on Architectural Evolution by Bjarke Ingels Group
Bjarke Ingels Group | $27.90
This article has been edited and updated.
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