J. Mourdaunt Crook, The Greek Revival: Neo-Classical Attitudes in British Architecture 1760-1870, Revised Edition published by John Murray (Publishers) Ltd., London, 1995 (originally published in 1972). Softcover, 256 pages, 250 images, approximately 6 1/2 inches x 9 inches. (Various other editions, put out by various publishers, are available.)
Available for sale at Amazon.
The Greek Revival: Neo-Classical Attitudes in British Architecture 1760-1870 is divided into three sections. The first offers a very interesting history of the rediscovery of the ancient Greek structures (in the 1700's, it was seemingly almost as dangerous to explore Greece as it was to explore the frontier areas of the United States) and of the individuals and societies that were influential in documenting and publishing information on Greece. The second part focuses on the architects who took the classic forms and re-interpreted them into new structures throughout Great Britian, and on the philosophy behind the Greek Revival style. The third part is a photographic study of the Greek Revival style in Great Britian (primarily structures in England and Scotland) and reprints of paintings, architectural renderings, etc. that exhibit Greek Revival buildings and architectural elements.
Americans tend to think of the Greek Revival as something uniquely American (in fact, the Greek Revival is sometimes called our national style), but this book makes it clear that the Greek Revival here had its roots in England. I found it fascinating to read about the development of the style and to view illustrations of the English examples, which can vary quite a bit in size and shape from American examples. I also found it extremely interesting to read about and see pictures of architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe's work in England, which predates his work here in America.
Copyright © 2006 Sarah E. Mitchell