Paperback
250 x 290 mm, 9 7/8 x 11 3/8 in
240 pp
152 colour illustrations
283 black and white illustrations
ISBN 9780714845258
0714845256
The Glasshouse
The evolution of the glass building from its humble hothouse origins.
John Hix
- Traces the evolution of the glass building from its humble hothouse beginnings to the climate-controlled, high-tech structures of the 20th century
- A wide range of horticultural and other building types, including early 16th-century orangeries and examples from the 18th and 19th centuries when increasingly more complex structures, incorporating iron and industrial construction techniques, were built
- Charts the contributions of innovators such as Joseph Paxton and John C Loudon and their influence on pioneers of 20th-century design such as Paul Scheerbart and Bruno Taut
- Illustrated with a wide selection of archival and contemporary photographs, etchings and lithographs
When John Ruskin disparaged the Crystal Palace as 'a great cucumber frame', he hit upon a truism. Representing the zenith of Victorian glasshouses, the Crystal Palace epitomized a building type that had been developed by horticulturists and garden specialists on a sophisticated level and a spectacular scale. John Hix's ground-breaking book on the subject, first published in 1974, has been extensively revised and rewritten for this new edition.
The Glasshouse traces the evolution of the building type back to antiquity and goes on to describe developments in the sixteenth century when houses and orangeries were first constructed in glass. The history continues into the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries when increasingly complex structures were built incorporating iron and industrial construction techniques. The contribution of innovators such as Joseph Paxton and J C Loudon is charted and their influence on the pioneers of twentieth-century design such as Paul Scheerbart and Bruno Taut is examined.
John Hix studied architecture at Iowa and Pennsylvania Universities. Now in private practice in Toronto, he is the author of a number of books and a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.
'Well illustrated with photographs, plans, sections and etchings, the book is primarily a tribute to the wonderful glass palaces of the past. As such, it's a clear winner.' (House & Garden)
'A beautiful and comprehensive study.' (Perspectives on Architecture)
'This is a beautiful book which, illustrated by modern colour photographs and contemporary engravings, succeeds in being both "coffee-table" and scholarly.' (Architects' Journal)
'Wonderful, and abounding with insights for gardeners and architectural connoisseurs alike, historians, and anyone who's wondered how it happens that, at lunch hour on a sunny day, the downtown canyons of almost any North American city sing with the sharp spears of light whizzing from pane to mirrored pane.' (Globe & Mail (Toronto))
'The Glasshouse is well researched and accessible, illustrated with hundreds of historic prints and contemporary photographs. Besides being a fascinating read, it’s a book that could sit proudly on any thinking gardener’s coffee table.' (Gardens Illustrated)
'Very lavishly and elegantly illustrated, and smartly, but not overly designed…' (The Art Book)
'Set to appear on all good coffee tables.' (Wallpaper*)