Stones of Empire: The Buildings of the Raj
| AUTHOR | Winchester, Simon; Morris, Jan |
| PUBLISHER | Oxford University Press (09/01/2005) |
| PRODUCT TYPE | Paperback (Paperback) |
Description
No empire in history built so variously as the British empire in India. The buildings there attest to the richness of an imperial presence that lasted--from the first trading settlement to the end of the Raj--some three hundred years. The attitude of the British to India was compounded partly of arrogance, but partly also of homesickness, and it shows in their constructions. Georgian terraces were adapted to tropical conditions, Victorian railway stations were elaborately orientalized, seaside villas were adjusted to suit Himalayan conditions, and everywhere the fundamental ambivalence of the British empire, a baffling mixture of good and evil, was mirrored in the imperial architecture. This book, now reissued with an introduction by Simon Winchester, was the first to describe the whole range of British constructions in India. The text and photographs illustrate these buildings not simply as physical objects, but as reflections of an empire's mingled emotions. Stones of Empire charts an enterprise in architecture, engineering, and social adaptation unique in human history.
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Product Format
Product Details
ISBN-13:
9780192805966
ISBN-10:
0192805967
Binding:
Paperback or Softback (Trade Paperback (Us))
Content Language:
English
More Product Details
Page Count:
244
Carton Quantity:
21
Product Dimensions:
7.42 x 0.53 x 9.78 inches
Weight:
1.11 pound(s)
Feature Codes:
Bibliography,
Index,
Price on Product,
Maps,
Table of Contents,
Illustrated
Country of Origin:
US
Subject Information
BISAC Categories
Architecture | History - General
Architecture | Asia - South - General
Architecture | Asia - India & South Asia
Dewey Decimal:
722
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
publisher marketing
No empire in history built so variously as the British empire in India. The buildings there attest to the richness of an imperial presence that lasted--from the first trading settlement to the end of the Raj--some three hundred years. The attitude of the British to India was compounded partly of arrogance, but partly also of homesickness, and it shows in their constructions. Georgian terraces were adapted to tropical conditions, Victorian railway stations were elaborately orientalized, seaside villas were adjusted to suit Himalayan conditions, and everywhere the fundamental ambivalence of the British empire, a baffling mixture of good and evil, was mirrored in the imperial architecture. This book, now reissued with an introduction by Simon Winchester, was the first to describe the whole range of British constructions in India. The text and photographs illustrate these buildings not simply as physical objects, but as reflections of an empire's mingled emotions. Stones of Empire charts an enterprise in architecture, engineering, and social adaptation unique in human history.
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Author:
Morris, Jan
Jan Morris is a travel writer and historian. Her many books include Hong Kong: Epilogue to an Empire, The Venetian Empire: A Sea Voyage, Conundrum, and Among the Cities.
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List Price $29.99
Your Price
$29.69