Magic Architecture - The Story of Human Housing

The first publication of artist and architect Frederick Kiesler's epoch-spanning history of human architecture, largely unknown but still relevant. This edition preserves Kiesler's conception of the book as a neo-Vitruvian Renaissance treatise divided into ten parts or books that narrate an alternative history and theory of architecture. Also included are sixty composite illustrations, cut and pasted from books and popular science journals, with elaborate captions. The editors have reassembled the book's text and illustrations from archival material, supplementing them with notes that document the evolution of the work. Introductory essays provide a chronology of Kiesler's research and an interpretation of key themes. Appendixes offer additional textual and visual material gathered by Kiesler for the project.

Product details

• Authors: Frederick Kiesler, Kiesler Frederick, Spyros Papapetros, Papapetros Spyros, Gerd Zillner
• Publisher: The MIT Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 28.10.2025
• EAN: 9780262046749
• ISBN: 978-0-262-04674-9
• No. of pages: 450
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > Architecture; Architecture, ARCHITECTURE / Criticism, ARCHITECTURE / Individual Architects & Firms / Essays, ARCHITECTURE / History / Contemporary (1945-), History of Architecture