Decluttering the very cluttered home my wife and I live in is one of my modest life goals. We have managed to accumulate a ridiculous amount of stuff over the course of our lives together, much of which we no longer have use for or have any emotional attachment to. Our pledge is to be more mindful moving forward, only adding to our home what we truly need, and to live with more intention. I do make one exception to this pledge, which is to exempt my ever-growing library of books on architecture. I have added to it once more, my most recent acquisition being The Story of Architecture, by Witold Rybczynski.
I am just a few chapters in, but that is enough for me to understand how Rybczynski organized his book. Ambitiously sweeping in scope, The Story of Architecture traces the evolution of architectural ideals from the Stone Age to the present, demonstrating how technological, economic, and social changes, as well as shifts in taste have shaped those ideals. Rybczynski uses a host of examples to illustrate the universal human desire for order, meaning, and beauty in architecture, ranging from the neolithic Cairn of Barnenez (circa 4800 BC) to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, completed in 2017.
A survey of architecture over a period of more than six thousand years would seem to be a daunting task for any author or reader, but Rybczynski broke his book into 39 manageable essays, each about 3-6 pages in length. I will read one or two of the essays during each sitting, picking up where I left off as I have time.
Unlike a typically pedantic, academic accounting of architectural history that prioritizes precise scholarly language, The Story of Architecture is breezy and broadly appealing. Witold Rybczynski is an engaging writer, skilled in making esoteric content accessible to anyone. Unsurprisingly, his writings on architecture and urban design have graced the pages of popular publications like The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, and Slate.com. With a diverse bibliography of over twenty books covering topics ranging from architecture to the history of the seven-day week (Waiting for the Weekend - Wikipedia), to the humble screwdriver (One Good Turn: A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw a book by Witold Rybczynski (bookshop.org), Rybczynski's skill lies in imparting personal thoughts on each subject he explores.
Like me, Rybczynski spent his formative years in Canada, he in Montreal (though born in Edinburgh, Scotland) whereas I grew up in Vancouver. Despite the undeniable historical, geographical, and cultural differences between Quebec and British Columbia, I think we share a trait that betrays our mutual Canadian-ness: a pragmatic conservatism that shapes our perceptions of what we consider to be good design.
My personal
library now includes four of Rybczynski’s titles; the other three in my
collection are:
- The Most Beautiful House in the World (1989)
- The Biography of a Building: How Robert Sainsbury and Norman Foster Built a Great Museum (2011)
- How Architecture Works: A Humanist's Toolkit (2013)
Rybczynski does point out that he did not intend The Story of Architecture to be a comprehensive accounting of architectural history. He limited the works he describes to prominent projects, notably those still in existence and available to visit. He also admits he did not give equal attention to all parts of the world, primarily working within the story of the Western canon. He states his goal was to “best convey the principal thrust of the strain of architectural thought that has most influenced [him],” and to tell the story of architecture as an accounting of the unexpected twists and turns he has followed in coming to appreciate its ability to celebrate, honor, pay homage to, and impress.
I am looking forward to reading more of The Story of Architecture. Though as of writing this blog post I have only completed the first three chapters, I feel confident in offering my highest recommendation for the book because Witold Rybczynski has never disappointed me in the past. Accordingly, The Story of Architecture already occupies a proud place in my library, a collection I cherish and will continue to add to, decluttering be damned.
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