Architectural survey that looks at the history of building types. Organized by categories such as museums, hospitals, prisons, etc. "Here is the first survey of building types ever to be written, a guide to vital and often overlooked features of the architectural and social inheritance of the West. Written out of immense erudition and reflecting its author's keenly discerning eye, it describes twenty types of buildings ranging from the most monumental to the least, from the most ideal to the most utilitarian, depicted in more than 700 illustrations." -- from back wrapper. Includes bibliographies and notes, list and sources of illustrations, and index. Printed in black-and-white.