G. E. Kidder Smith Builds - by Angelo Maggi (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

George Everard Kidder Smith (1913-1997) was a multidimensional figure within the wide-ranging field of North American architectural professionals in the second half of the twentieth century.

Although he trained as an architect, he chose not to practice within the conventional strictures of an architecture office. Instead, Kidder Smith "designed," researched, wrote, and photographed a remarkably diverse collection of books about architecture and the built environment. His work and life were deeply interwoven and punctuated by travel related to the research, writing, and promotion of books that sought to reveal the genius loci of the countries whose built environments he admired and wished to share with a broader audience.

From the early 1940s to the late 1950s his interest in architecture led him to describe visually the architectural and historical identity of many European countries. After his far-flung travels over the decades, with his wife Dorothea, Kidder Smith focused on his own country and produced a series of ambitious books focused on the United States. Kidder Smith's vision and narrative betray the gaze of the traveler, the scholar, and the architect.

Review Quotes

"...a beautifully illustrated and long overdue assessment of the work of George Everard Kidder Smith (1913-1997), a "multidimensional figure within the wide-ranging field of North American architectural professionals in the second half of the twentieth century."" --More to Come...

"...Maggi's book is an exemplary example of the value of diligent and thorough research, clear writing, elegant book design, and quality book-making, a combination more often the exception, rather than the norm." --The Plan Journal

"Architectural history exhibitions address historical and critical questions in special ways, through the presentation of both documentation and artifacts to a diversified audience. Exhibition catalogues have become distinctive vehicles for the expression of scholarship in architectural history. They remain as the substantial and enduring contribution after the life of the exhibition is spent. The SAH Exhibition Catalogue Award recognizes excellence in this form of scholarship and publication." --SAH Exhibition Catalogue Award 2024

"Twenty-five years after his death, the first book dedicated to the life and work of G.E. Kidder Smith--one of America's most talented, if overlooked, architectural photographers--explores his impact on architectural appreciation in the U.S. and beyond, as he documented historical architecture and the great buildings of his time." --Architectural Record