Aesthetics of Architecture

Roger Scruton is a visiting professor at Oxford University, where he is also a Fellow at Blackfriars Hall. His many books include Art and Imagination, Sexual Desire, The Aesthetics of Music, and A Political Philosophy: Arguments for Conservatism.

• Introduction to the 2013 Edition ix Acknowledgments xxi Preface xxiii 1 Introduction: The problem of architecture 1 Part I 2 Architecture and design 21 3 Has architecture an essence? 34 4 Experiencing architecture 66 5 Judging architecture 96 Part II 6 Freud, Marx and meaning 127 7 The language of architecture 146 8 Expression and abstraction 165 9 The sense of detail 190 10 Conclusion: Architecture and morality 218 Part III Summary 239 Notes 243 Bibliography 275 Index of Names 277 Index of Subjects 283

"Compelling and readable... [O]ne not just to read but to return to and to query with persistence and concentration, a book in fact not to borrow and peruse, but to possess and make one's own."--Anthony Savile, Times Literary Supplement "This book is powerful and unusual... The author combines wide knowledge of both buildings and the main writings on architecture with searching philosophical analysis."--Literary Review "A remarkable contribution that should interest designers, teachers, critics, and historians."--Michael McMordie, Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians "This is a highly readable book, valuable in its examination of philosophical concepts in the immediate context of architecture, and valuable in its overview of architecture itself."--Kenneth Nugent, Month "This is an important book which deserves to be read, not just by students and academics, but by all who take an intelligent interest in architecture."--Peter F. Smith, RIBA Journal