The Most Beautiful House in the World - by Witold Rybczynski (Paperback)

About the Book

A book about architecture: what architects do, how they get it right, what an architectural genius can see, and what distinguishes architecture from other arts. Illustrated.

Book Synopsis

"A winning book, a pleasure to read...a revelation about what architects actually do and how they go about doing it." -Los Angeles Times

Witold Rybezynski takes us on an extraordinary odyssey as he tells the story of designing and building of his own house. Rybezynski's project began as a workshed; through a series of "happy accidents," however, the structure gradually evolved into a full-fledge house.

In tracing this evolution, he touches on matters both theoretical and practical, writing on such diverse topics as the distinguished structural descendants of the humble barn, the ritualistic origins of the elements of classical architecture, and the connections between dress and habitation, and between architecture and gastronomy. Rybezynski discusses feng shui, the Chinese art of placing a home in the landscape, and also considers the theories and work of such architects as Palladio, Le Corbusier, and Frank Lloyd Wright. An eloquent examination of the links between being and building, The Most Beautiful House in the World offers insights into the joys of "installing ourselves in a place, of establishing a spot where it be safe to dream."

Review Quotes

"amusing and original" - The New York Times

"A winning book, a pleasure to read...a revelation about what architects actually do and how they go about doing it." -Los Angeles Times

"...this delightful ramble through the creative process will beguile architecture buffs and general readers alike." - Publishers Weekly

"Gracefully written, endearingly self-deprecating in tone: a work that will be returned to (and quoted) again and again by its eager readers." --Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Witold Rybczynski of Polish parentage, was born in Edinburgh in 1943, raised in Surrey, and attended Jesuit schools in England and Canada. He received Bachelor of Architecture (1960) and Master of Architecture (1972) degrees from McGill University in Montreal. He has written for the Atlantic, New Yorker, New York Review of Books, and the New York Times, and has been architecture critic for Saturday Night, Wigwag, and Slate. His book include Taming the Tiger, Paper Heroes, The Most Beautiful House in the World, Waiting for the Weekend, and Looking Around: A Journey Through Architecture, City Life and Charleston Fancy. He lives with his wife, Shirley Hallam, in Philadelphia and is Emeritus Professor of Urbanism at the University of Pennsylvania.