Vitruviuss most popular book is the ten books on architecture. The author gives general rules western architecture. Hicks, sebastiano serlio, on architecture, new havenlondon, 1996. In the preface of book i, vitruvius dedicates his writings so as to give personal knowledge of the quality of buildings to the emperor. Tall, slim quarto, early vellum spine and papercovered boards.
Based on vitruvius own experience, as well as on theoretical works by the. Little is known about vitruvius life except vitruvius the ten books of architecture by marcus vitruvius pollio 8015 bc is the first complete treatise that we have on architecture. Ten books on architecture by vitruvius translated by morris hicky morgan, ph. The work is one of the most important sources of modern knowledge of roman building methods, as well as the planning and design of. Books by vitruvius author of the ten books on architecture. For the first time in more than half a century, vitruvius ten books on architecture is being published in english. Vitruvius also included a section on human proportions. Vitruvius pollio, the ten books on architecture, book i. Vitruvius s most popular book is the ten books on architecture.
Publication date 1914 topics architecture publisher cambridge. Marcus vitruvius pollio, a roman architect and engineer flourishing in the first century b. Book i on an architects ideal education, the principles and divisions of architecture, fortifications, principles of good town planning, and. It is a treatise written in latin and ancient greek on architecture, dedicated to his patron, the emperor caesar augustus, as a guide for building projects. Vitruvius pollio, the ten books on architecture morris hicky morgan, ed.
The project gutenberg ebook of ten books on architecture, by. As the only treatise on architecture to have survived from antiquity it has been regarded as the first book on architectural theory. Written almost exactly two thousand years ago, vitruvius work is a ten volume treatise on engineering and architecture, the only. You may copy it, give it away or reuse it under the terms of the project gutenberg license included with this ebook or online at. The architecture of marcus vitruvius pollio author. On architecture book by vitruvius schofield r, translator. Vitruvius pollio, the ten books on architecture, book iii.
It is a treatise written in latin and ancient greek on architecture, dedicated to his patron, the emperor caesar augustus, as a guide for building. Ten books on architecture wikisource, the free online. Morris hicky morgan 1914 with 68 illustrations drawn from a variety of earlier translations of the text page numbers from the dover 1960 edition. Ten books on architecture hardcover april 30, 2009 by vitruvius author 4. He had completed the translation, with the exception of the last four chapters of the tenth book, and had discussed, with professor warren, the illustrations intended. I picked up the eversofamous ten books when i started auditing mark. Ten books on architecture by vitruvius pollio, paperback. Vitruvius was a roman army engineer, and the purview of his books covers weapons, fortification, town building and the creation of practical and beautiful public and private buildings. Dec 31, 2006 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project. Little is known of vitruvius life, except what can be gathered from his writings, which are somewhat obscure on the subject. The contents of this treatise in ten books are as follows. Vitruvius pollio, the ten books on architecture, book i, preface. Early works early works to 1800 ouvrages avant 1800.
The only full treatise on architecture and its related arts to survive from classical antiquity, the architectura libri decem ten books on architecture is the single most important work of architectural history in the western world, having shaped humanist architecture and the image of the architect from the renaissance to the present. The rediscovery of vitruvius during the renaissance. Spines of four books bound in marbled paper, plain paper, leather, and vellum. Demonstrating the range of vitruvius style, this new. The work is one of the most important sources of modern knowledge of roman building.
Vitruvius, the ten books on architecture, translated by morris hicky. Let us start with a guy named marcus vitruvius pollio. Sep 20, 2017 the text of this work needs to be migrated to index. For hundreds of years, the specific instructions he gave in his ten books on architecture were followed faithfully, and major buildings in all parts of the world. In on architecture vitruvius adds to the tradition of greek theory and practice the results of his own experience.
The ten books in the first book vitruvius discusses the education of the architect, aesthetic and technical principles, elements of architecture, the siting of the town, fortifications, streets, and placing of its principal buildings. He believed that the architect should be a person of wide learning. Vitruvius pollio, joseph gwilt, roman architecture. His ten books on architecture give great insight into. The national endowment for the humanities provided support for entering this text. The author gives general rules for siting an openair theatre and for designing the stage, orchestra, and auditorium. For summer reading, i doubt this is high on anyones list, but i found it interesting enough. Reading it is an unmitigated source of joy for someone who has an amateurs interest in architecture or roman history. Vitruvius has 52 books on goodreads with 2609 ratings. Wikipedia article, commons category, wikidata item. He wrote the ten books on architecture about the same time that octavian caesar was given the title augustus, 27 b. On architecture, published as ten books on architecture is a treatise on architecture written by the roman architect marcus vitruvius pollio and dedicated to his patron, the emperor caesar augustus, as a guide for building projects. Publication date 1914 topics architecture publisher. The ten books on architecture by vitruvius goodreads.
In the preface of book i, vitruvius dedicates his writings so as to give personal knowledge of the. The ten books on architecture by vitruvius books on. The only full treatise on architecture and its related arts to survive from classical antiquity, the architecture libri decem ten books on architecture is the single most important work of architectural history in the western world, having shaped architecture and the image of. Ten books on architecture wikisource, the free online library. Tavernor, leon battista alberti, on the art of building in ten books, cambridge, 1988 v. Vitruvius the ten books on architecture garden visit.