In De architectura (c.40 BC); Vitruvius discusses in ten encyclopedic chapters aspects of Roman architecture; engineering and city planning. Vitruvius also included a section on human proportions. Because it is the only antique treatise on architecture to have survived; De architectura has been an invaluable source of information for scholars. The rediscovery of Vitruvius during the Renaissance greatly fuelled the revival of classicism during that and subsequent periods. Numerous architectural treatises were based in part or inspired by Vitruvius; beginning with Leon Battista Alberti's De re aedificatoria (1485).For more than seventy years; Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1;700 titles; Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors; as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
#451147 in Books Penguin Classics 1999-12-01 1999-12-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.80 x .60 x 5.10l; .37 #File Name: 0141180196240 pagesPenguin Classics
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. The Human Experience in Steinbeck FashionBy C. BradleyI read A Russian Journal upon returning home from a two-month stint of teaching in Moscow and was excited to dive into another Steinbeck. Not surprisingly; Steinbeck offers a truthful and compassionate portrayal of the human experience through eyes which seem to dissolve cultural barriers. Respectfully intruding into the lives of normal people during post World War II Soviet Union; Steinbeck; accompanied by Robert Capa; documents the thoughts; work ethics; and questions of those who the rest of 1940s America failed to understand. Forging ahead behind the iron curtain; Steinbeck retells tales of normal; family-oriented; hard-working people found in the midst of his travels through the countryside who in many ways were no different than the Americans who feared and often disdained them.Most remarkably to me; Steinbeck tells of a Moscow that is relatively unchanged today. Incredibly; this slice of Russian culture has remained the same in many ways though it has experienced such a turbulent century. I would recommend A Russian Journal to anyone planning on visiting Russia soon (because it is still relevant) and also to anyone who enjoys Steinbeck. It is simple; heartfelt; and relatively unbiased in its attempts to portray normal life in another culture. Its style is easily comparable to Travels With Charley; although I believe because Steinbeck understands his own American culture so much more richly; he is able to portray connections and summations about what he experiences much more definitively in Travels With Charley. Regardless; A Russian Journal is certainly an interesting and enjoyable read.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Great piece of historyBy Juan C MerckSteinbeck is always Steinbeck! I bought the Kindle edition but was very disappointed with the resolution of the pictures and by that I mean the quality of the images of the pictures. It may sound strange a complain about "pictures" in a book written by Steinbeck but being Capa his travel companion and co-author I expected more. The journal is very descriptive and tries to portray the Soviet Union without any bias. I personally think that such thing as "un-biased" does not exist but at least Steinbeck was aware of that. On those days of the cold war; if you were not totally adverse to everything that was from the Soviet Union you were stigmatized as a pro-communist; in the best of the cases... I wish today a writer as talented as Steinbeck with comparable literal stature and as un-biased as he was; would write a: "Middle Eastern Journal"...0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Wonderful ReadBy Wendy B. SmithSincere and honest; though a little naive; Steinbeck and photographer Capa tour the Soviet Union after WWII. The most interesting parts are about their visit to Georgia; specifically to Batumi on the Black Sea and the capital; Tiflis (Tbilisi). Through descriptions of overeating and overdrinking; we meet the good people of Russia; the bureaucracy; and the news people and foreign service people who live there. Steinbeck's writing makes the tour; including the waiting in airports; the drinking of endless cups of tea; and the incessant pouring of vodka come alive.
