Architecture

Architecture goes beyond mere design and construction of buildings. These buildings speak to us as icons of our culture, and even as works of art. The earliest surviving written work on architecture is De architectura, written in the 1st century CE by the Roman architect Vitruvius. He laid out three objectives for architecture: durability, utility, and beauty. Modern architecture has evolved around these principles. Collectors of architecture books often focus on the architecture of a particular region or time period, or they may collect books about individual architects, like Frank Gehry.