"Anyone who has ever noticed a distinctive feature of a building and wanted to know its name, and anyone who has encountered such a name but needed a picture or a definition to understand it, now have a way of finding either answer. This handy reference tool serves architects, historians, homeowners and curious observers alike by pairing a traditional dictionary of architectural elements with a series of illustrations of the same elements." "Both halves of the book are equally easy to dip into. The numbered illustrations are clearly labeled with names, which may be found alphabetically in the dictionary; and in the dictionary, cross-references to pertinent illustrations accompany definitions. The illustrations are grouped by category (Windows and Doors, Walls, Roofs, Columns, Stairs, Ornament and Moldings, and Arches, Vaults and Domes), so to locate a particular item one may simply turn to the appropriate section and look for a photograph or drawing that matches it."--Jacket.

Anyone who has ever noticed a distinctive feature of a building and wanted to know its name, and anyone who has encountered such a name but needed a picture or a definition to understand it, now have a way of finding either answer. This handy reference tool serves architects, historians, homeowners and curious observers alike by pairing a traditional dictionary of architectural elements with a series of illustrations of the same elements.

Both halves of the book are equally easy to dip into. The numbered illustrations are clearly labeled with names, which may be found alphabetically in the dictionary; and in the dictionary, cross-references to pertinent illustrations accompany definitions.

The illustrations are grouped by category (Windows and Doors, Walls, Roofs, Columns, Stairs, Ornament and Moldings, and Arches, Vaults and Domes), so to locate a particular item one may simply turn to the appropriate section and look for a photograph or drawing that matches it.