The Seven Lamps of Architecture

Ruskin's respected treatise on architectural methods and style is presented here complete, with all of the original edition's images. Written and published in the 1840s, this book sees John Ruskin set out his architectural beliefs. A man of deep religiosity, Ruskin was convinced that Gothic architecture was at the very height of beauty and achievement in building design. Even during his prime, Ruskin's opponents felt his staunch, traditionalist take on architecture confining. Despite Ruskin's now-outdated views, this book acts as a detailed history of architecture as it stood in the mid-19th century. The Seven Lamps of the title describe principles which Ruskin viewed essential in building: Sacrifice, Truth, Power, Beauty, Life, Memory, and Obedience. We find within illustrations of structures and flourishes which Ruskin admires most. His opinions on certain newer designs of the industrial era, and the painstaking restoration of ancient artworks, may be summed up in a single word: desecration.