The Secret Lives Of Buildings: From The Parthenon To The Vegas Strip In Thirteen Stories

(Paperback)

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Description

The plans are drawn up, a site is chosen, foundations are dug: a building comes into being with the expectation that it will stay put and stay for ever. But a building is a capricious thing: it is inhabited and changed, and its existence is a tale of constant and curious transformation. In this radical re-imagination of architectural history, Edward Hollis tells the stories of thirteen buildings, beginning with the 'once upon a time' when they first appeared, through the years of appropriation, ruin and renovation, and ending with a temporary 'ever after'. In spell-binding prose, Hollis follows his buildings through time and space to reveal the hidden histories of the Parthenon and the Alhambra, Gloucester Cathedral and Ayasofya, Sans Souci and Notre Dame de Paris, Malatesta's Tempio and Loreto, exploring too the landmarks of our own time, from Hulme's legendary crescents in Manchester to the Berlin Wall and the fibre glass theme parks of Las Vegas.

Reviews

'Hollis is magical on the layers of myth and history in the classical world - this is an engaging, erudite and readable book.' Financial Times 'A beautifully wrought book: a kind of illuminated manuscript with words taking the place of pictures - Here are wondrous stories writ in stone, and Edward Hollis has written about them very well indeed.' Guardian '[A] tremendous book - Hollis recounts the stories of 13 structures with passion and panache - His book [is] a rare thing: non-fiction you can reread.' Scotland on Sunday 'Accessible and ambitious - Hollis has the gift of making these buildings seem real and alive.' The Times

Author Bio

Born in London in 1971, Edward Hollis studied Architecture at the universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh before joining a practice, working first on ruins and follies in the lagoons of Sri Lanka and then on Victorian villas, old breweries and town halls in Scotland. He now teaches at Edinburgh College of Art and this is his first book.