From William Morris to Walter Gropius

Pioneers of Modern Design

Sir Nikolaus Pevsner (1902-1983) was a professor of history of art and architecture at Birkbeck College, University of London. Along with Pioneers of Modern Design, he wrote and edited the classic series Buildings of England.

One of the most widely read books on modern design, Nikolaus Pevsner's landmark work today remains as stimulating as it was when first published in 1936. This expanded edition of Pioneers of Modern Design provides Pevsner's original text along with significant new and updated information, enhancing Pevsner's illuminating account of the roots of Modernism. The book now offers many beautiful colour illustrations; updated biographies and bibliographies of all major figures; illustrated short essays on key themes, movements, and individuals; a critique of Pevsner's analysis from today's perspective; examples of works after 1914 (where the original study ended); a biography detailing Pevsner's life and achievements; and much more. Pevsner saw Modernism as a synthesis of three main sources: William Morris and his followers, the work of nineteenth-century engineers, and Art Nouveau. The author considers the role of these sources in the work of early Modernists and looks at such masters of the movement as C.F.A. Voysey and Charles Rennie Mackintosh in Britain, Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright in America, and Adolf Loos and Otto Wagner in Vienna. The account concludes with a discussion of the radical break with the past represented by the design work of Walter Gropius and his future Bauhaus colleagues. Nikolaus Pevsner (1902-1983), a distinguished scholar of art and architecture, was best known as editor of the 46-volume series The Buildings of England and as founding editor of The Pelican History of Art.

Hugh Honour

John Fleming

Nikolaus Pevsner

Need a handbook to your architect&rsquo;s business or studies? Struggling with your latest DIY project? Interested in the art of architecture? This classic work, now in its fifth edition, covers every aspect of architecture and landscape architecture. Ranging from ancient times to contemporary trends, it adopts a truly international perspective, focussing on countries and cultures such as Coptic, Tibet and De Stijl. 
 
Without doubt, this is the standard work in the field. As reflected by its new title, 'The Penguin Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture' has now been expanded to include recent developments in the field of landscape architecture. Full account has been taken, too, of the huge range of building traditions around the world. The text has been completely reset and all the illustrations redrawn. 
 
'Immensely useful, succinct and judicious...this is a book rich in fact and accumulated wisdom.' The Times Literary Supplement

Nikolaus Pevsner

Books by Nikolaus Pevsner

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