Now available in a convenient pocket-sized mini format, this is the essential illustrated reference book for everyone interested in houses. Following the popular format of The Art Book, this title is a new and innovative presentation of houses and dwellings from all periods and all corners of the globe. It presents 500 houses classified by architect, designer, patron or cultural tribe and people in an A-Z format, with each house represented by a full-page reproduction and a text that describes the building, placing it and its designer in its historical context. The book also includes an easy-to-use glossary of technical terms and movements, and a directory of houses open to the public. The Mini House Book presents an interesting and fresh view of 500 iconic houses and tradititional dwellings, representing the most diverse selection of houses of all time from around the world. From Hadrian's Villa and Palladio's Villa Rotonda to Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye and the contemporary houses of Richard Rogers or Frank Gehry, it features the widest range of architect-designed houses as well as traditional types of dwelling. Vanished buildings, such as Nonsuch Palace by Henry VIII, are illustrated by artists' impressions and rare illuminated manuscripts. Like The Art Book, it presents 500 houses listed in an A-Z format by architect, patron, cultural tribe or people that departs from the usual emphasis on genres and time periods, encouraging readers to contemplate the connections between social history, popular culture and design types. The houses selected represent a broad variety of styles, structures and aesthetics. Experts, as well as readers coming to an architectural survey for the first time, will find many well-loved and familiar houses, alongside others that are rarely explored in architectural books. The houses were carefully selected in an effort to choose the appropriate work for architecture around the world. Some of the houses will be acknowledged for their role in architectural history, others will be iconic for their individual features or structure, but all will be seminal forms of dwelling. The selection ranges from the palaces of kings to the individual huts of the Maasai tribe of East Africa. Technology has changed dramatically over the centuries, but the essential qualities of house or dwelling remain greatly unchanged. All of the houses provide shelter and protection, space to live in private and public, regardless of their budget or aesthetic. This book explores the concept of the house, around the world and across different cultures. Each entry is represented by a full-page image of a significant view and an accompanying text that describes the building and discusses the type of architecture and its role in the further development of the tradition. Each page includes cross-references to other designers working in a similar style, movement, or time period, as well as biographical information about the designer, and complete data on the house reproduced. The book also includes an easy-to-use glossary of architectural terms and movements, and a directory of houses open to the public.