Brutalism or Blobism? Two isms of architectural style in case you don't know (I didn't). Isms: Understanding Architecture is a guide to "the significant 'isms' of architectural history (and) spans from the ancient Greeks, Romans, and the Renaissance up to the present day.". The book is a follow up of Isms: Understanding Art, a pocket-sized guide for art lovers who don't have a formal education in the visual arts but who want to recognize and intelligently discuss the significant movements that have shaped the world of art. Same format, different subject, this time architecture. Each chapter, there are sixty, addresses a distinct architectural movement and explains when it first emerged, the historical period to which it applies, the principal disputes over its applicability, and illustrates important structures, practitioners, key words, and distinctive features. Paperback, 160 pages, $11.02 at Amazon.

+ Isms: Understanding Architecture at Amazon