The following list should cover most subjects which most commonly crop up in an Art Dept. Architectural, Design and Building Construction:
A History of Architecture: Bannister Fletcher.
A classic. Available new or second hand. Perfect introduction to Architecture. Various editions available as it’s constantly been updated over the last 100 years!
McKays Building Construction: McKay.
Get the Imperial copy, not metric. Either in 4 volumes second hand or now republished all in one volume new. The best book for all things constructional, with details of doors, windows, stonework etc.
Building Construction: Mitchell.
Available second hand. Elementary and Advanced volumes. Similar to McKays, but much smaller, and cheaper!
The Styles of Ornament: Speltz.
Available new. Good inspiration for everything ornamental.
Handbook of Ornament: Meyer.
Available new. Companion volume to Speltz.
The Orders of Architecture: Normand or The Orders of Architecture: Stratton.
Wonderful measured drawings of Classical architecture. Both available second hand.
The Elements of Style: Stephen Calloway.
Available new. Fantastic overview of all periods of External and interior design including Architecture, Furnishings, fixtures and fittings.
Period Houses and their Details: Colin Amery.
Great measured drawings and photos of Buildings. Available second hand.
Modern Practical Joinery: George Ellis
Available new. Brilliant construction drawings of joinery and cabinetry.
Wrought Iron in Architecture: Gerald K. Geerlings
Available new. Drawings and photos of all periods of Wrought Iron
Period Houses Fixtures and Fittings: Linda Hall
Available new. Photos and drawings of all periods of architectural details.
Rice’s Architectural Primer: Matthew Rice
Available new. A delightful compact introduction to Architectural terms. From Triglyphs to Tympanums, Apophyges to Astragals, this book has it all!
Masterpieces of Furniture: Salomonsky
Available new. Measured drawing and photographs of a wide range of furniture, including construction techniques. Invaluable.
Film Design History & “Making of” books:
Designing for Films: Edward Carrick.
Published in 1941 but still relevant today! Available second hand.
Designs on Film: Cathy Whitlock.
Available new. A beautiful book taking in Production Design from the earliest days to the present.
Star Wars: The Blueprints: J. W. Rinzler:
Available new. Probably the only book to be completely dedicated to the art of film draughting, in this case the first six Star Wars films including work by some of the greatest draughtsman ever to have worked in the film industry. A must.
Harry Potter Page to Screen: McCabe
Available new. A sumptuous book celebrating the design of the Potter series, with hundreds of pieces of concept art, sketches, graphics and working drawings as well as extensive interviews with Stuart Craig.
Draughting techniques:
Drawing the Line: David McHenry.
Available new. A very good overview of traditional draughting for the Art Dept. including Drawing techniques, Construction, Geometry, Camera Angles, and a useful glossary. Available new.
The Art of Illusion: Terry Ackland Snow:
Available new. A useful introduction to how the Art Dept. works with examples Concept art, Draughting, Model making and behind the scenes photographs. Available new.
Draughtsmanship: R. Fraser Reeklie.
Was, for many years, the standard draughting book. Available cheaply second hand.
