num_pages: 304
description: In 1981 Alison Lurie published The Language of Clothes  a meditation on costume and fashion as an expression of history social status and individual psychology. Amusing enlightening and full of literary allusion the book was highly praised and widely anthologized. Now Lurie has returned with a companion book The Language of Houses  a lucid provocative and entertaining look at how the architecture of buildings and the spaces within them both reflect and affect the people who inhabit them. Schools churches government buildings museums prisons hospitals restaurants and of course houses and apartmentsall of them speak to human experience in vital and varied ways. The Language of Houses discusses historical and regional styles and the use of materials such as stone and wood and concrete as well as contemplating the roles of stairs and mirrors windows and doors tiny rooms and cathedral-like expanses illustrating its conclusions with illuminating literary references and the comments of experts in the field. Accompanied by lighthearted original drawings The Language of Houses is an essential and highly entertaining new contribution to the literature of modern architecture.
language: English
title: The Language of Houses
publisher: Delphinium