In Praise of Architecture

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Gio Ponti

F. W. Dodge Corporation, New York, 1960, English; originally published 1957 in Italian

Nonfiction, Architecture

5.75 x 7.75 inches, hardcover, 270 pages, black-and-white illustrations

Ponti extolled his audience to “Love architecture, be it ancient or modern. Love it for its fantastic, adventurous and solemn creations; for its inventions; for the abstract, allusive and figurative forms that enchant our spirit and enrapture our thoughts. Love architecture, the stage and support of our lives.”

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Marco Romanelli

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Written in 1957 in Italian under the title Amate l’architettura (“Love Architecture”), this book was dedicated “not to architects, but to people falling in love with architecture.” During his long life, Gio Ponti never wavered in his conviction that people can learn to read and love architecture. This is not a book that you have to read from first to last page—just open it and read one sentence every night before falling asleep.

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