This critical account of the history and function of design sets design styles, from the eighteenth century to present day, in the context of the times that produced them and assesses what good design was at any given time and why it worked.
Penelope Anne Sparke is a writer and academic who specializes in the history of design. She is a Professor of Design History at Kingston University, London, where she is also Director of the Modern Interiors Research Centre.
Sparke received her B.A. in French Literature and her P.G.C.E. in Education from Sussex University, and her Ph.D. in Design History from Brighton Polytechnic.