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Fallen Glory: The Lives and Deaths of Twenty Lost Buildings from the Tower of Babel to the Twin Towers
Buildings are more like us than we realise. They can be born into wealth or poverty, enjoying every privilege or struggling to make ends meet. They have parents -- gods, kings and emperors, governments, visionaries and madmen -- as well as friends and enemies. They have duties and responsibilities. They can endure crises of faith and purpose. They can succeed or fail. They can live. And, sooner or later, they die. In Fallen Glory, James Crawford uncovers the biographies of some of the world's most fascinating lost and ruined buildings, from the dawn of civilisation to the cyber era. The lives of these iconic structures are packed with drama and intrigue. Soap operas on the grandest scale, they feature war and religion, politi and art, love and betrayal, catastrophe and hope. Frequently their afterlives have been no less dramatic -- their memories used and abused down the millennia for purposes both sacred and profane. They provide the stage for a startling array of characters, including Gilgamesh, the Cretan Minotaur, Agamemnon, Nefertiti, Genghis Khan, Henry VIII, Catherine the Great, Adolf Hitler, and even Bruce Springsteen. Ranging from the deserts of Iraq, the banks of the Nile and the cloud forests of Peru, to the great cities of Jerusalem, Istanbul, Paris, Rome, London and New York, Fallen Glory is a unique guide to a world of vanished architecture. And, by picking through the fragments of our past, it asks what history s scattered ruins can tell us about our own future.
890 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 3, 2015
138 people are currently reading
1673 people want to read
About the author
James Crawford
6 books9 followersJames Crawford is a writer and broadcaster. His first major book, Fallen Glory: The Lives and Deaths of History’s Greatest Buildings was shortlisted for the Saltire Literary Award for best non-fiction. His other books include Who Built Scotland: 25 Journeys in Search of a Nation, Scotland’s Landscapes and Aerofilms: A History of Britain from Above. The Edge of the Plain: How Borders Make and Break Our World was published in 2022.
Crawford wrote and presented three series of the BBC One landmark documentary series Scotland from the Sky, which was Shortlisted as ‘Best Factual Series’ at the Royal Television Society Awards Scotland. In 2019 he was named as the Archive and Records Association’s first-ever ‘Explore Your Archives’ Ambassador. He lives in Edinburgh.
Crawford wrote and presented three series of the BBC One landmark documentary series Scotland from the Sky, which was Shortlisted as ‘Best Factual Series’ at the Royal Television Society Awards Scotland. In 2019 he was named as the Archive and Records Association’s first-ever ‘Explore Your Archives’ Ambassador. He lives in Edinburgh.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
February 5, 2016
A brilliant idea - the story of 20 different buildings that are either lost or in ruins "from the dawn of civilisation to the cyber age".
It's a big book, nearly 550 pages, and it seemed to take me a good while to work through. However it is never anything less than fascinating, and its taught me so much too.
I'm lost in admiration for the amount of research that James Crawford must have done to write this book - the scope is huge. He does admit the Library of the University of Edinburgh became his second home!
Each building is set in its own period of history but Crawford often brings the historical impact right up to the present day. Reading this, people who dismiss the importance of the past couldn't fail to see how what has gone before us is relevant to what is happening right now, and what will happen in the future. We should ignore at our peril.
It's a big book, nearly 550 pages, and it seemed to take me a good while to work through. However it is never anything less than fascinating, and its taught me so much too.
I'm lost in admiration for the amount of research that James Crawford must have done to write this book - the scope is huge. He does admit the Library of the University of Edinburgh became his second home!
Each building is set in its own period of history but Crawford often brings the historical impact right up to the present day. Reading this, people who dismiss the importance of the past couldn't fail to see how what has gone before us is relevant to what is happening right now, and what will happen in the future. We should ignore at our peril.
January 25, 2016
The almost-perfect book: a tantalizing fusion of history, geography, architecture, religion, science and philosophy. The stories of 20 bygone buildings is told in a captivating fashion; from the Temple of Solomon to the World Trade Center towers. The author is exceptionally gifted at making analogies between the realities and contexts that led to the befalling of these past symbols of glory to the contexts today. This book also carried much emotional meaning to me, being Syrian and in light of the recent horrific destruction of most of Palmyra. The value of these buildings can be best epitomized by the author's quote of Prince Abd al Rahman, said after his building of his great Andalucian city when asked if he feared the possibility of its destruction: "if over it wafts the breeze of memory and nostalgic yearning, and tender tears water it, then it will not fade".
May 19, 2017
An absolutely fascinating book! It explores buildings, cities, and other architectural creations from millennia B.C. up to much more recent times. It explores the discovery process of the varying constructions, a slice of history about these, an analysis of what the particular story might tell us.
The book begins with the Tower of Babel, an elusive subject. The chapter brings in American troops and Saddam Hussein himself as a part of the narrative (a fascinating juxtaposition). Other ancient examples: the Palace of King Minos on Crete, and the Temple at Jerusalem, among others. That is Part One of the volume.
Part Two focuses on the "unhappiness of empires." Examples include: The Forum of Rome, Alexander's Library at Alexandria, for instance. Next, "The King is Dead, Long Live the King." We read the story of the building of St. Paul's Cathedral in London and its demise in 1666; the Bastille in Paris; the Fortress of Golconda in India. Finally, Utopia versus Dystopia. Here, we see the effort to create Jeremy Bentham's Panopticon, the Pruitt-Igoe housing complex in St. Louis, the Berlin Wall, and the virtual construction of GeoCities. The book ends on the very unhappy note of ISIS' destruction of much of the important histrical city of Palmyra.
A fascinating work that pulls together numerous threads to create a narrative that goes beyond the physical structures discussed and described.
The book begins with the Tower of Babel, an elusive subject. The chapter brings in American troops and Saddam Hussein himself as a part of the narrative (a fascinating juxtaposition). Other ancient examples: the Palace of King Minos on Crete, and the Temple at Jerusalem, among others. That is Part One of the volume.
Part Two focuses on the "unhappiness of empires." Examples include: The Forum of Rome, Alexander's Library at Alexandria, for instance. Next, "The King is Dead, Long Live the King." We read the story of the building of St. Paul's Cathedral in London and its demise in 1666; the Bastille in Paris; the Fortress of Golconda in India. Finally, Utopia versus Dystopia. Here, we see the effort to create Jeremy Bentham's Panopticon, the Pruitt-Igoe housing complex in St. Louis, the Berlin Wall, and the virtual construction of GeoCities. The book ends on the very unhappy note of ISIS' destruction of much of the important histrical city of Palmyra.
A fascinating work that pulls together numerous threads to create a narrative that goes beyond the physical structures discussed and described.
May 13, 2025
Wonderful book and writing this review ten years later brings back how brilliant it was to read about this disparate collection of buildings like The Tower of Babel, The Temple of Jerusalem, The Library of Alexandria, The Bastille, Kowloon Walled City, the Berlin Wall, and the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and made me want to read it again. Ranging from the deserts of Iraq, the banks of the Nile and the cloud forests of Peru, to the great cities of Jerusalem, Istanbul, Paris, Rome, London and New York, Fallen Glory is a unique guide to a world of vanished architecture. And, by picking through the fragments of our past, it asks what history's scattered ruins can tell us about our own future.
November 18, 2017
This very well written compendium of 20 fallen structures combines history, archeology, architecture, and geography into 20 wonderful essays. Very much worth reading for entertainment and education.
Take your time with each chapter and use Google Earth to geographically place the locations you are unfamiliar with.
This is the best book I've read this year.
Take your time with each chapter and use Google Earth to geographically place the locations you are unfamiliar with.
This is the best book I've read this year.
July 6, 2020
Fallen Glory was a book that I never intended to read. As I recall, I had been watching one of those escapist architecture shows on Netflix and the next time I was at the library I spontaneously picked the first book they had on the shelf in the architecture section and added it to my pile. Fallen Glory was that book, and I suppose it is a testament to my compulsive book selection habits that I was undaunted by its heft and page count. I will admit, these factors meant I really only pushed myself to read it once I was coming up on my tenth and final book renewal opportunity. Looking back after finishing the book, I’m quite grateful this book was in that “first on the shelf” position.
In many ways, this book is an excellent complement to How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They're Built, one of the most thought-provoking books I read last year. A major difference is in the scope of these two books. Each chapter of Fallen Glory is a biography (obituary?) of a culturally and historically significant structure that no longer exists. The chapters run in essentially chronological (“birth”) order, though (for readers capable of mixing it up) the chapters need not be read chronologically. The author does not ruminate or make explicit the connections from one chapter or part to the next; rather, the detailed historical context and the inevitable demise of each building makes the thesis clear: structures, and the humans who build, inhabit, and destroy them, are always temporary. Buildings and the ways in which they are used and viewed by those surrounding them are reflective of the context in which they were created and how they came to meet their end. As such, they are important landmarks for understanding history, culture, and society.
Despite many of the book’s subjects being frequently mythologized structures, the author is not precious about their lives. He describes in blunt detail the realities of existing among these buildings and the often undignified circumstances that take place around them. A unsurprising commonality across the buildings, however, is their constant optimism regarding expected longevity and influence by those who construct and interact with the buildings. In each case, it is demonstrated how fleeting the physical life of a building can be in the larger historical picture.
I did struggle in the first half of the book, which details the life and death of ancient structures; however, I do not fault the author for this. Rather, my education on such times and cultures largely stopped after the superficial middle school “world history” treatment, so I think much of the nuance and detail provided resulted in slight overwhelm. However, I was much more engaged in the second half of the book, particularly enjoying the chapters on the Pruitt-Igoe complex, GeoCities (yes, the book does not limit itself to the purely three-dimensional), and Palmyra. I appreciate that the author considered structures that I would imagine are not part of the classical architectural canon of “historically significant” structures.
Certainly, this book is hefty, but its clear-cut organization with chapters that can stand alone make it less of a daunting read than one might think. I would say it is actually more of a cultural history book than one about architecture, so if the latter is the expectation one brings to this book, disappointment might ensue. Despite being somewhat of a surprise read for me, this book was an enlightening series of historical case studies and has me considering how my architectural landscape will change in years to come. Don’t be too attached to any structure - its fall is imminent.
In many ways, this book is an excellent complement to How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They're Built, one of the most thought-provoking books I read last year. A major difference is in the scope of these two books. Each chapter of Fallen Glory is a biography (obituary?) of a culturally and historically significant structure that no longer exists. The chapters run in essentially chronological (“birth”) order, though (for readers capable of mixing it up) the chapters need not be read chronologically. The author does not ruminate or make explicit the connections from one chapter or part to the next; rather, the detailed historical context and the inevitable demise of each building makes the thesis clear: structures, and the humans who build, inhabit, and destroy them, are always temporary. Buildings and the ways in which they are used and viewed by those surrounding them are reflective of the context in which they were created and how they came to meet their end. As such, they are important landmarks for understanding history, culture, and society.
Despite many of the book’s subjects being frequently mythologized structures, the author is not precious about their lives. He describes in blunt detail the realities of existing among these buildings and the often undignified circumstances that take place around them. A unsurprising commonality across the buildings, however, is their constant optimism regarding expected longevity and influence by those who construct and interact with the buildings. In each case, it is demonstrated how fleeting the physical life of a building can be in the larger historical picture.
I did struggle in the first half of the book, which details the life and death of ancient structures; however, I do not fault the author for this. Rather, my education on such times and cultures largely stopped after the superficial middle school “world history” treatment, so I think much of the nuance and detail provided resulted in slight overwhelm. However, I was much more engaged in the second half of the book, particularly enjoying the chapters on the Pruitt-Igoe complex, GeoCities (yes, the book does not limit itself to the purely three-dimensional), and Palmyra. I appreciate that the author considered structures that I would imagine are not part of the classical architectural canon of “historically significant” structures.
Certainly, this book is hefty, but its clear-cut organization with chapters that can stand alone make it less of a daunting read than one might think. I would say it is actually more of a cultural history book than one about architecture, so if the latter is the expectation one brings to this book, disappointment might ensue. Despite being somewhat of a surprise read for me, this book was an enlightening series of historical case studies and has me considering how my architectural landscape will change in years to come. Don’t be too attached to any structure - its fall is imminent.
July 8, 2020
Definitely interesting, if a bit skewed toward Europe. I was expecting a little more architectural commentary--the book definitely skews toward history rather than descriptions of details and functionality, and the quality of both the latter decreases as the book progresses. Having had to track down rights for images, I understand why there aren't more...but dang, it's too bad!
Anyway, still a fascinating book. The chapters aren't too long, either, so you can dip in and out if you want.
Some of my favorite chapters/buildings:
5. The Temple of Jerusalem - I knew a little about the history of the Jewish temple(s), but of course there's so much more than just those structures.
12. The Fortress of Golconda - I really, really wanted more description here
16. Kowloon Walled City - Dang, this was fascinating! Probably my favorite building/city to learn about
17. The Pruitt-Igoe - As someone who loves the idea of people living in close, shared quarters (because it's better for the environment), this was more than a bit of a wake-up call.
20. GeoCities - I was just a little too young to experience this, unfortunately. I had one friend with a GeoCities fan page for the book and movie Les Miserables, but I never ventured further.
I was also very interested in the chapters on the Tower of Babel, Akhetaten, the Library of Alexandria, and Karakorum, but I knew enough about them to start that I didn't get the thrill of new discovery that I felt with the chapters above.
Quote Round-Up
I started out promising myself I wouldn't make any notes. Ha!
The Library of Babel
p. 177) Ptolemy founded two great institutions: a 'Shrine to the Muses' - a building known more commonly as a museum...
Yep, that's it. I was floored that I'd never thought about where that word came from!
p. 193) The iron of this uber-library [one containing every book that could possibly exist] was that the possibility of any book having been written did not have any bearing on the probability of finding it. This vast written archive was neither curated nor critiqued, and expert accounts would be shelved side by side with imperfect or nonsensical ones. Universal knowledge, in [Argentinian author Jorge Louis] Borges' library, simply meant too much information.
Enter the librarian! I read A Canticle for Leibowitz for one of my LIBSCI classes, but it sounds like Borges' short story "The Library of Babel" may have been just as--if not even more--pertinent.
The Hippodrome of Constantinople
p. 208) The dialogue between the crowd and the emperor had grown into an almost ritual performance, an extension of the entertainments that played out on the arena sands. As a result, it gradually fell to the most passionate and vocal of the circus fans to lead the cheer for or against imperial policy.
Well, if that isn't disturbingly timely, given our political situation. Being reminded of the "bread and circus" philosophy as a whole really struck a chord.
Karakorum
p. 296) [Since it was more than a little out of the way] Ogodei's plan for turning his new capital into an essential destination for Silk Road trading caravans [was that] he would pay vastly inflated prices for any goods passing through Karakorum.
This gave me a chuckle, as did Ogodei's comment to his incredulous advisers that only reputation will stand the test of time. If only certain modern-day billionaires would think the same way. Ahem.
The Berlin Wall
p. 484-485) This willingness to spend money beautifying the Wall...was an attempt to cover up the structure's fundamental, unavoidable flaw: it was the wrong way around. As a former border-guard-turned-defector told the West German newspaper Der Spiegel in 1981: 'They always said--anti-fascist protection rampart. But the whole thing was built back to font... Everybody saw this. It was built so that no one from our side could go over.'
Certainly that's the narrative that has prevailed since the wall came down. Knowing how people can be, though, I wonder how many ordinary East Berliners actually believed that the Wall was protecting them from the West. Also, I'm more than a little disappointed that no one in Soviet propaganda realized this problem and tried to fix it: barbed wire and conveniently-in-the-way pipes on both sides of the wall; and commissioned pro-Soviet murals might have helped play down the keeping-in aspect.
GeoCities
p. 524) In June 1999, protesters crowded the streets of GeoCities in a virtual demonstration that threatened to turn into a virtual riot. Many left the city, never to return. What had caused such an impassioned out-cry? ... Geocities had been sharing residents' personal registration information with advertisers.
This is absolutely, sadly hilarious. Now no one cares what information we share with advertisers. I mean, look at me--Amazon's probably using my ratings of these books to try to sell me more books on Amazon, but I keep rating and reviewing anyway!
p. 533) GeoCities was the very first internet city. It will also likely be the last. Basing web structures on real-world counterparts is already out-moded. The city has been replaced by the cloud. Instead of a digital earth, we now have digital heaven, an omnipotent repository of data that is nowhere and everywhere all at once. We are no longer citizens of the net, but consumers. We do not have to live in the web anymore, because the web lives with us, carried in our pockets...
I'm genuinely sad I missed GeoCities. I love the idea of the place-based internet.
Palmyra
p. 553) Zenobia and the Palmyrenes did not so much want to overthrow Rome as take control of its bureaucratic economic networks in a bid to dominate world trade. It was a plan of breath-taking confidence and ambition.
Once again, I was startled by how relevant this seems to our current times. This sounds exactly like something China or Russia might do these days, "invading" over the internet more for economic reasons than geographically imperial ones.
Anyway, still a fascinating book. The chapters aren't too long, either, so you can dip in and out if you want.
Some of my favorite chapters/buildings:
5. The Temple of Jerusalem - I knew a little about the history of the Jewish temple(s), but of course there's so much more than just those structures.
12. The Fortress of Golconda - I really, really wanted more description here
16. Kowloon Walled City - Dang, this was fascinating! Probably my favorite building/city to learn about
17. The Pruitt-Igoe - As someone who loves the idea of people living in close, shared quarters (because it's better for the environment), this was more than a bit of a wake-up call.
20. GeoCities - I was just a little too young to experience this, unfortunately. I had one friend with a GeoCities fan page for the book and movie Les Miserables, but I never ventured further.
I was also very interested in the chapters on the Tower of Babel, Akhetaten, the Library of Alexandria, and Karakorum, but I knew enough about them to start that I didn't get the thrill of new discovery that I felt with the chapters above.
Quote Round-Up
I started out promising myself I wouldn't make any notes. Ha!
The Library of Babel
p. 177) Ptolemy founded two great institutions: a 'Shrine to the Muses' - a building known more commonly as a museum...
Yep, that's it. I was floored that I'd never thought about where that word came from!
p. 193) The iron of this uber-library [one containing every book that could possibly exist] was that the possibility of any book having been written did not have any bearing on the probability of finding it. This vast written archive was neither curated nor critiqued, and expert accounts would be shelved side by side with imperfect or nonsensical ones. Universal knowledge, in [Argentinian author Jorge Louis] Borges' library, simply meant too much information.
Enter the librarian! I read A Canticle for Leibowitz for one of my LIBSCI classes, but it sounds like Borges' short story "The Library of Babel" may have been just as--if not even more--pertinent.
The Hippodrome of Constantinople
p. 208) The dialogue between the crowd and the emperor had grown into an almost ritual performance, an extension of the entertainments that played out on the arena sands. As a result, it gradually fell to the most passionate and vocal of the circus fans to lead the cheer for or against imperial policy.
Well, if that isn't disturbingly timely, given our political situation. Being reminded of the "bread and circus" philosophy as a whole really struck a chord.
Karakorum
p. 296) [Since it was more than a little out of the way] Ogodei's plan for turning his new capital into an essential destination for Silk Road trading caravans [was that] he would pay vastly inflated prices for any goods passing through Karakorum.
This gave me a chuckle, as did Ogodei's comment to his incredulous advisers that only reputation will stand the test of time. If only certain modern-day billionaires would think the same way. Ahem.
The Berlin Wall
p. 484-485) This willingness to spend money beautifying the Wall...was an attempt to cover up the structure's fundamental, unavoidable flaw: it was the wrong way around. As a former border-guard-turned-defector told the West German newspaper Der Spiegel in 1981: 'They always said--anti-fascist protection rampart. But the whole thing was built back to font... Everybody saw this. It was built so that no one from our side could go over.'
Certainly that's the narrative that has prevailed since the wall came down. Knowing how people can be, though, I wonder how many ordinary East Berliners actually believed that the Wall was protecting them from the West. Also, I'm more than a little disappointed that no one in Soviet propaganda realized this problem and tried to fix it: barbed wire and conveniently-in-the-way pipes on both sides of the wall; and commissioned pro-Soviet murals might have helped play down the keeping-in aspect.
GeoCities
p. 524) In June 1999, protesters crowded the streets of GeoCities in a virtual demonstration that threatened to turn into a virtual riot. Many left the city, never to return. What had caused such an impassioned out-cry? ... Geocities had been sharing residents' personal registration information with advertisers.
This is absolutely, sadly hilarious. Now no one cares what information we share with advertisers. I mean, look at me--Amazon's probably using my ratings of these books to try to sell me more books on Amazon, but I keep rating and reviewing anyway!
p. 533) GeoCities was the very first internet city. It will also likely be the last. Basing web structures on real-world counterparts is already out-moded. The city has been replaced by the cloud. Instead of a digital earth, we now have digital heaven, an omnipotent repository of data that is nowhere and everywhere all at once. We are no longer citizens of the net, but consumers. We do not have to live in the web anymore, because the web lives with us, carried in our pockets...
I'm genuinely sad I missed GeoCities. I love the idea of the place-based internet.
Palmyra
p. 553) Zenobia and the Palmyrenes did not so much want to overthrow Rome as take control of its bureaucratic economic networks in a bid to dominate world trade. It was a plan of breath-taking confidence and ambition.
Once again, I was startled by how relevant this seems to our current times. This sounds exactly like something China or Russia might do these days, "invading" over the internet more for economic reasons than geographically imperial ones.
November 10, 2019
A very interesting book. The author covered the history of buildings I hadn't heard of (apparently others have). The rise and fail of these buildings is interesting - the attitudes to people toward the building, how those attitudes and needs change and the affect on the building. He also includes the deletion of Geocities. Many of the stories are of antiquities now ruined. The final story is the rise, fall, rising again and destruction of Palmyra. The Twin Towers are also included.
It took me awhile to read because I wished for entertainment in between reading about the glory of things that had fallen or been destroyed......
Chapters are the Tower of BAbel, Palace of King Minos, Citadel of Mycenae, Akhenaten, Temple of Jerusalem, the Forum, Library of Alexandria, Hippodrome of Constantinople, Madinat al-Zahra, old St. Paul's Cathedral in London, Karakorum in Mongolia, Fortress of Golconda, the Bastille, Vilcabamba in Peru, St Petersburg Panopticon in Russia and more. He tells the known history of each place and what it is like today. The history is fascinating and current reality is mostly rather sad. But what an amazing world is revealed.
It took me awhile to read because I wished for entertainment in between reading about the glory of things that had fallen or been destroyed......
Chapters are the Tower of BAbel, Palace of King Minos, Citadel of Mycenae, Akhenaten, Temple of Jerusalem, the Forum, Library of Alexandria, Hippodrome of Constantinople, Madinat al-Zahra, old St. Paul's Cathedral in London, Karakorum in Mongolia, Fortress of Golconda, the Bastille, Vilcabamba in Peru, St Petersburg Panopticon in Russia and more. He tells the known history of each place and what it is like today. The history is fascinating and current reality is mostly rather sad. But what an amazing world is revealed.
December 31, 2024
I did not think I was going to finish this one in 2024, but here we are!
A very interesting, chunky book. It sort of tells the history of civilisation using these destroyed buildings. Crawford spans the world with his choices, and it felt like a very accessible read. I could have done with a few more pictures throughout the text, but I enjoyed the ones that were there, and the colour photos were great.
I loved that the final chapter was on Geocities, and I got to learn about times and places I'd never thought about. There's a lot of sadness in this book as we watch some beautiful buildings be torn down, but there is also joy in learning about them, and sometimes in what they have become now. I liked the complex ones like the chapter about the Berlin Wall, and the history of St Paul's Cathedral in London was fascinating.
A really great book if you like architecture or the sweep of history in general. A wonderful read.
A very interesting, chunky book. It sort of tells the history of civilisation using these destroyed buildings. Crawford spans the world with his choices, and it felt like a very accessible read. I could have done with a few more pictures throughout the text, but I enjoyed the ones that were there, and the colour photos were great.
I loved that the final chapter was on Geocities, and I got to learn about times and places I'd never thought about. There's a lot of sadness in this book as we watch some beautiful buildings be torn down, but there is also joy in learning about them, and sometimes in what they have become now. I liked the complex ones like the chapter about the Berlin Wall, and the history of St Paul's Cathedral in London was fascinating.
A really great book if you like architecture or the sweep of history in general. A wonderful read.
Read
September 13, 2018I enjoy reading about prominent buildings- who built them and why, and what ultimately happens to them. This book will cover about 20 starting with the Tower of Babel, it covers King Minos' Palace, the Library of Alexandria (my favorite!), the World Trade Center, and many more. Interesting read.
I received a Kindle ARC in exchange for a fair review from Netgalley.
I received a Kindle ARC in exchange for a fair review from Netgalley.
September 19, 2017
Review title: My City of Ruins
Probably the most apt and accurate review title I've ever written, Springsteen's great 9/11 hymn serves equally as a eulogy to all of these lost, destroyed buildings documented by Crawford, and as a specific benediction to the World Trade Center towers destroyed that day. What Crawford has done is devote a chapter to the "biography" of each of 21 different abandoned, lost, or destroyed buildings or cities, including the World Trade Center towers, in a novel multi-disciplinary approach.
Crawford is a historian by profession, and an architectural curator by trade, and he applies both skill bases here as he describes the founding, building, active life, death or loss, and rediscovery, repurposing or significance of each location. Starting with the Tower of Babel, chapter 1 in Part One entitled "Gods, Heroes and Monsters", he proceeds in roughly chronological order. While the Mediterranean regions (Rome, Spain, Egypt, and the Middle East) are heavily represented because of their antiquity and prominence in world history, he also documents sites in Asia (China, India, Mongolia) and the Americas (Peru, St. Louis, and of course New York) and even the internet, treating the GeoCities web hosting network as a city. While GeoCities was completely virtual and only 15 years old from creation to death, Crawford's history of it fits stylistically and purposefully within the book.
What is Crawford's purpose in bringing these disparate places together within the same covers? As an architect, he documents the purpose of the site as it was built and used, and as a historian he describes the history of the site before and after it was built. And as a writer and curator, he writes about the significance of the place, fixing its place in culture, politics, religion, and literature. He doesn't propose a unifying theory, but lets each site speak for itself.
And they do speak. And Part Four entitled "You say Utopia, I say Dystopia", which covers six mostly modern sites with therefore little history and less time in which to establish significance, nevertheless has some of the most interesting biographies. The Berlin Wall story, which is recent enough and often enough told that (I suspect)
like many readers I thought I knew it, had more twists in its creation and fall than I expected. Ronald Reagan's famous and powerful "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" (p. 485) came two years before the event and had nothing to do with it; in fact, without revealing the story and spoiling it for readers, the fall of the Berlin Wall was an accident! And its significance was more than just a geopolitical Cold War barrier. It was a psychological wall that even today effects those born on both sides of the wall, and reflects the political and cultural beliefs of the societies it fenced off--and walled in.
One fault that knocked off a star from my rating is reflected in the fact that to find the page number of the Reagan quote I had to flip through the chapter: there is no index, a surprising omission in a book of this caliber and one which caught me several times wishing I could look up a page reference of a site or person I had read about elsewhere to see how it was treated by Crawford. But there are extensive footnotes and further reading suggestions (I will add a biography of Heinrich Schliemann, a founder of professional archeology, to my reading wish list), and color and black and white illustrations of most of the sites.
Each of these places is truly in ruins. But words and songs have been written about them, and in these lyrics they still exist.
There is a blood red circle
On the cold dark ground
And the rain is falling down
The church door's thrown open
I can hear the organ's song
But the congregation's gone
My city of ruins
My city of ruins
Now the sweet bells of mercy
Drift through the evening trees
Young men on the corner
Like scattered leaves,
The boarded up windows,
The empty streets
While my brother's down on his knees
My city of ruins
My city of ruins
Come on, rise up! Come on, rise up!
Come on, rise up! Come on, rise up!
Come on, rise up! Come on, rise up!
Now's there's tears on the pillow
Darlin' where we slept
And you took my heart when you left
Without your sweet kiss
My soul is lost, my friend
Tell me how do I begin again?
My city's in ruins
My city's in ruins
Now with these hands,
With these hands,
With these hands,
I pray Lord
With these hands,
With these hands,
I pray for the strength, Lord
With these hands,
With these hands,
I pray for the faith, Lord
We pray for your love, Lord
We pray for the lost, Lord
We pray for this world, Lord
We pray for the strength, Lord
We pray for the strength, Lord
Come on
Come on
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Probably the most apt and accurate review title I've ever written, Springsteen's great 9/11 hymn serves equally as a eulogy to all of these lost, destroyed buildings documented by Crawford, and as a specific benediction to the World Trade Center towers destroyed that day. What Crawford has done is devote a chapter to the "biography" of each of 21 different abandoned, lost, or destroyed buildings or cities, including the World Trade Center towers, in a novel multi-disciplinary approach.
Crawford is a historian by profession, and an architectural curator by trade, and he applies both skill bases here as he describes the founding, building, active life, death or loss, and rediscovery, repurposing or significance of each location. Starting with the Tower of Babel, chapter 1 in Part One entitled "Gods, Heroes and Monsters", he proceeds in roughly chronological order. While the Mediterranean regions (Rome, Spain, Egypt, and the Middle East) are heavily represented because of their antiquity and prominence in world history, he also documents sites in Asia (China, India, Mongolia) and the Americas (Peru, St. Louis, and of course New York) and even the internet, treating the GeoCities web hosting network as a city. While GeoCities was completely virtual and only 15 years old from creation to death, Crawford's history of it fits stylistically and purposefully within the book.
What is Crawford's purpose in bringing these disparate places together within the same covers? As an architect, he documents the purpose of the site as it was built and used, and as a historian he describes the history of the site before and after it was built. And as a writer and curator, he writes about the significance of the place, fixing its place in culture, politics, religion, and literature. He doesn't propose a unifying theory, but lets each site speak for itself.
And they do speak. And Part Four entitled "You say Utopia, I say Dystopia", which covers six mostly modern sites with therefore little history and less time in which to establish significance, nevertheless has some of the most interesting biographies. The Berlin Wall story, which is recent enough and often enough told that (I suspect)
like many readers I thought I knew it, had more twists in its creation and fall than I expected. Ronald Reagan's famous and powerful "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" (p. 485) came two years before the event and had nothing to do with it; in fact, without revealing the story and spoiling it for readers, the fall of the Berlin Wall was an accident! And its significance was more than just a geopolitical Cold War barrier. It was a psychological wall that even today effects those born on both sides of the wall, and reflects the political and cultural beliefs of the societies it fenced off--and walled in.
One fault that knocked off a star from my rating is reflected in the fact that to find the page number of the Reagan quote I had to flip through the chapter: there is no index, a surprising omission in a book of this caliber and one which caught me several times wishing I could look up a page reference of a site or person I had read about elsewhere to see how it was treated by Crawford. But there are extensive footnotes and further reading suggestions (I will add a biography of Heinrich Schliemann, a founder of professional archeology, to my reading wish list), and color and black and white illustrations of most of the sites.
Each of these places is truly in ruins. But words and songs have been written about them, and in these lyrics they still exist.
There is a blood red circle
On the cold dark ground
And the rain is falling down
The church door's thrown open
I can hear the organ's song
But the congregation's gone
My city of ruins
My city of ruins
Now the sweet bells of mercy
Drift through the evening trees
Young men on the corner
Like scattered leaves,
The boarded up windows,
The empty streets
While my brother's down on his knees
My city of ruins
My city of ruins
Come on, rise up! Come on, rise up!
Come on, rise up! Come on, rise up!
Come on, rise up! Come on, rise up!
Now's there's tears on the pillow
Darlin' where we slept
And you took my heart when you left
Without your sweet kiss
My soul is lost, my friend
Tell me how do I begin again?
My city's in ruins
My city's in ruins
Now with these hands,
With these hands,
With these hands,
I pray Lord
With these hands,
With these hands,
I pray for the strength, Lord
With these hands,
With these hands,
I pray for the faith, Lord
We pray for your love, Lord
We pray for the lost, Lord
We pray for this world, Lord
We pray for the strength, Lord
We pray for the strength, Lord
Come on
Come on
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
January 2, 2019
Fallen Glory looks at history through the lens of architecture. Crawford picks 21 historical places--buildings, cities, physical and virtual spaces--and describes not only notable events from the creation, existence, and destruction of each, but also on notable themes surrounding the structures.
In "Modernism's Labyrinth", the author discusses the Heroic Age of archaeology and the reconstruction of ancient sites, relating to the Palace of Knossos and the Minoan culture of the Bronze Age. In "Anarchy's Theatre", he discusses the importance of chariot racing to the fabric of Roman society through the classical and Byzantine periods and the ways people could organize against monarchy through the Hippodrome of Constantinople. In "London Was, But Is No More", Crawford describes the evolution of Old St. Paul's Cathedral from British spiritual center to Catholic bishop's seat to unofficial civic center for the people of London.
Even recent events are covered, as Crawford describes the terrorist destruction of the World Trade Center, the rise and fall of GeoCities, and the ISIS capture and destruction of the ruins at Palmyra.
Any book with such a wide span of history to cover will tend toward Western European and Western Asian subjects, due to the basic knowledge of the intended audience and the relative supply of information in historical and literary sources. However, the author does include sites as widespread as Incan Peru, Mongolian Karakorum, Mughal India and Hong Kong. Even within the Western topics, Muslim Spain, Enlightenment innovations and American public housing are lesser known but still interesting when covered.
In "Modernism's Labyrinth", the author discusses the Heroic Age of archaeology and the reconstruction of ancient sites, relating to the Palace of Knossos and the Minoan culture of the Bronze Age. In "Anarchy's Theatre", he discusses the importance of chariot racing to the fabric of Roman society through the classical and Byzantine periods and the ways people could organize against monarchy through the Hippodrome of Constantinople. In "London Was, But Is No More", Crawford describes the evolution of Old St. Paul's Cathedral from British spiritual center to Catholic bishop's seat to unofficial civic center for the people of London.
Even recent events are covered, as Crawford describes the terrorist destruction of the World Trade Center, the rise and fall of GeoCities, and the ISIS capture and destruction of the ruins at Palmyra.
Any book with such a wide span of history to cover will tend toward Western European and Western Asian subjects, due to the basic knowledge of the intended audience and the relative supply of information in historical and literary sources. However, the author does include sites as widespread as Incan Peru, Mongolian Karakorum, Mughal India and Hong Kong. Even within the Western topics, Muslim Spain, Enlightenment innovations and American public housing are lesser known but still interesting when covered.
May 23, 2020
I enjoyed this book, even though it isn't exactly as advertised. It's less architectural than anecdotal and conceptual, although the anecdotes are very good and I learned a lot about things that I had only heard about previously and knew little. the sections about Aurangzeb and Palmyra and Pruitt Igor and Jerusalem and the Berlin Wall were evocative. A good example of the confusion of the high-concept with the actual execution can be seen in the section on digital cities -- it shows that the author was more taken with the ideas of conceptual interactions of humans then the actual discussion of buildings, which was a complete turnaround of the promise that was originally presented in the section on Babylon. That section focused much more on buildings and the abstraction into the physical, and outlines that the author's main point was to discuss hubris. (Even though the section on digital cities was inappropriate I still found it interesting.)
Wealth, treasure, and greed or all discussed as part of hubris, but it happened so often I begin to sense money worship on the part of the author.
Overall however it was a great survey of architecture and culture from antiquity to the digital age. By far the most interesting section for me was the chapter on Kolwoon's City of Darkness (https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/a...).
PN: Chalx, Beirut flea market and the market in antiquities, the rise of South Asian fashion in Roman culture, Russian Orthodox Church in Russian archeology societies 1906 expedition to Syria
Wealth, treasure, and greed or all discussed as part of hubris, but it happened so often I begin to sense money worship on the part of the author.
Overall however it was a great survey of architecture and culture from antiquity to the digital age. By far the most interesting section for me was the chapter on Kolwoon's City of Darkness (https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/a...).
PN: Chalx, Beirut flea market and the market in antiquities, the rise of South Asian fashion in Roman culture, Russian Orthodox Church in Russian archeology societies 1906 expedition to Syria
February 8, 2024
Excellent book, what a great way to approach history. Going beyond the buildings, Crawford gets into what is happening in society around each, and the people directly involved (when historically possible!).
For my interested, I focused on the Berlin Wall (not a building, per se) and the Twin Towers, two events (the structures now reflect events) I that affect my life (from a distance, but intensely). While the chapter on the Pruitt-Igoe public housing project brought back memories from when I lived in the Chicago area, and he did great research analyzing more than just the buildings but the criticisms before and after the failure of this project, the other two events stand out more.
Of particular note and an example of how Crawford can bring out more than architecture but the social implications of building, note this from the chapter on the Berlin Wall:
"Erecting the Wall was a supremely reductive act. It removed all political subtlety, and simplified the world to a series of competing dualities: East versus West; Capitalist versus Communist; Us versus Them; friend versus enemy. At stake was the ultimate judgment: who was good and who was evil? It was this that made the Wall not just a wall, but also a mirror. For those on either side, to look at it was not to see through it or over it, but to see their own reflections." -- p. 473
This insight speaks directly to the erection of the border wall between the United States and Mexico. (See the book, The Edge of the Plain.)
For my interested, I focused on the Berlin Wall (not a building, per se) and the Twin Towers, two events (the structures now reflect events) I that affect my life (from a distance, but intensely). While the chapter on the Pruitt-Igoe public housing project brought back memories from when I lived in the Chicago area, and he did great research analyzing more than just the buildings but the criticisms before and after the failure of this project, the other two events stand out more.
Of particular note and an example of how Crawford can bring out more than architecture but the social implications of building, note this from the chapter on the Berlin Wall:
"Erecting the Wall was a supremely reductive act. It removed all political subtlety, and simplified the world to a series of competing dualities: East versus West; Capitalist versus Communist; Us versus Them; friend versus enemy. At stake was the ultimate judgment: who was good and who was evil? It was this that made the Wall not just a wall, but also a mirror. For those on either side, to look at it was not to see through it or over it, but to see their own reflections." -- p. 473
This insight speaks directly to the erection of the border wall between the United States and Mexico. (See the book, The Edge of the Plain.)
November 13, 2017
Fallen Glory contains an incredible breadth of fascinating stories starting at the very beginning of history. The author continues all the way to the present time, examining a different structure and civilization in each chapter. In telling each story, the author skips around from the archaeologist making the discovery, to the original builders, and various points along the structure or civilization history. The chapters are fairly short considering the wealth of information, which makes the book engaging and reasonably easy to read. Some of the structures and stories were familiar to me, but for others the author gave me a great introduction. I expect that most people reading would have a similar experience.
The one confusing part of the book was trying to discern the overall themes that the author was trying to convey. Each of the structures eventually was destroyed, indicating the basic truth that empires are made to fall, often due to their own pride. But the final chapter the author ends on a more hopeful note, which to me seemed to undercut the basic premise of the book. For the most part the author lets each story stand on its own, not trying to force a general narrative on very different structures and civilizations. This is useful in that none of the stories feels forced, but it also gives the book a somewhat incoherent feel. Overall I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in architecture and history.
The one confusing part of the book was trying to discern the overall themes that the author was trying to convey. Each of the structures eventually was destroyed, indicating the basic truth that empires are made to fall, often due to their own pride. But the final chapter the author ends on a more hopeful note, which to me seemed to undercut the basic premise of the book. For the most part the author lets each story stand on its own, not trying to force a general narrative on very different structures and civilizations. This is useful in that none of the stories feels forced, but it also gives the book a somewhat incoherent feel. Overall I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in architecture and history.
February 17, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Fallen Glory: The Lives and Deaths of History's Greatest Buildings. The book is both well written and edited and flows effortlessly from chapter to chapter. Each chapter is, more or less, an essay containing factual information concerning how various civilizations have built and used structures. The structures themselves are also explained in reference to their historical influence (e.g., Temple of Jerusalem, Hippodrome, Old St. Paul's Cathedral, Twin Towers).
Crawford includes numerous endnotes, which provides the reader with additional sources of information concerning each structure. Note that every structure discussed in the book has been covered at length by numerous authors and researchers. Watson's "value-added" is that he weaves the historical events, places/regions, and people together with a particular structure. Furthermore, Watson adds his own philosophical perspective that makes the reader think a bit more deeply about the influence that architecture, buildings, and structures have on culture and human behavior.
The only negative, or distraction, of the book, in my opinion, is the chapter on GeoCities. While I found the chapter quite interesting, it seemed very much out-of-place.
Crawford includes numerous endnotes, which provides the reader with additional sources of information concerning each structure. Note that every structure discussed in the book has been covered at length by numerous authors and researchers. Watson's "value-added" is that he weaves the historical events, places/regions, and people together with a particular structure. Furthermore, Watson adds his own philosophical perspective that makes the reader think a bit more deeply about the influence that architecture, buildings, and structures have on culture and human behavior.
The only negative, or distraction, of the book, in my opinion, is the chapter on GeoCities. While I found the chapter quite interesting, it seemed very much out-of-place.
June 16, 2025
It’s a long book, that seems even longer. Likely because each chapter is a different story. However, it lends some great insight into architecture and how human activity relates to its survival. Being one who loves news of discoveries that expand our understanding of the past, some of the facts and stories of destruction and looting truly made me angry. Those are sad tribute to how everything in our world, including our history, is up for sale. But, I learned about fantastic ruins of places I’d never heard of before. I particularly found the section on the khans and India to be compelling. The book has a nice mix of architectural vignettes from all around the world, including Iraq, China, The UK, India, France, and the US. And lots of fun facts you might not know about these incredible places and cultures. The section on the World Trade Center, while interesting, is probably a little dated. But then again, perhaps we’re still exploring that one. The GeoCities story might be unexpected, but it truly fits here as well. The author could easily do another edition. Perhaps adding Petra, the Norte Dame Cathedral, the Sarajevo Olympic Village, and the Viking settlements discovered in Norway and Scotland.
August 30, 2023
Once upon a time this was recommended on an episode of the 99% invisible podcast, highlighting one of the later, highly unusual chapters, on the Geocities website (go have a listen!). Roman Mars is enough of an authority for me to give this a go - and it was definitely not a mistake.
Fallen Glory is the collection of "biographies" of twenty-one notorious marvels (for better or worse) of architecture that are not around anymore. From the Tower of Babel through the Bastille prison all the way to the Kowloon Walled City and the above mentioned Geocities, the book offers gripping narratives about the details that you might be vaguely aware of but are not sure. Given the chronological spread anyone will find at least something interesting here and I would say for most people most of the chapters will be highly worth their time. It's a really refreshing look at history, focusing on a single location rather than events, ideology or political movement.
Give Fallen Glory a go. It's really enjoyable, well researched and if you - like me - enjoy 99pi, this is almost like getting 21 brand new episodes!
Fallen Glory is the collection of "biographies" of twenty-one notorious marvels (for better or worse) of architecture that are not around anymore. From the Tower of Babel through the Bastille prison all the way to the Kowloon Walled City and the above mentioned Geocities, the book offers gripping narratives about the details that you might be vaguely aware of but are not sure. Given the chronological spread anyone will find at least something interesting here and I would say for most people most of the chapters will be highly worth their time. It's a really refreshing look at history, focusing on a single location rather than events, ideology or political movement.
Give Fallen Glory a go. It's really enjoyable, well researched and if you - like me - enjoy 99pi, this is almost like getting 21 brand new episodes!
June 3, 2024
The very long title* of this excellent book gives a pretty good idea of what it is about—and yet fails to do it justice. Although it doesn't claim to be, Fallen Glory reads like a history of the world. Look closer and it isn't, of course: there's more focus on the classical antiquity of Europe and the near East than on Asia or the Americas, and sub-Saharan Africa and Australasia don't feature at all. But each of the buildings chosen fully justifies its place: even Geocities, which I hadn't expected to fit in, works perfectly. Crawford gives plenty of macro- and micro-historical context for each location, all of which enlightens without overwhelming: although this is a hefty book (I would have liked larger print as well as more photographs!), it is also a gripping read that both taught me a lot about its subject and filled me with enthusiasm to learn more. A brilliant idea, superbly executed.
*Interestingly, the title seems to vary according to the edition. Some include "from the Tower of Babel to the Twin Towers" and some don't. I guess "from Akhetaten to Pruitt-Igoe" wouldn't have been as marketable.
*Interestingly, the title seems to vary according to the edition. Some include "from the Tower of Babel to the Twin Towers" and some don't. I guess "from Akhetaten to Pruitt-Igoe" wouldn't have been as marketable.
March 20, 2025
Such a pleasant surprise!
This book was so much more than I expected. I somehow thought I was going to get a surface accounting of buildings that no longer stand. With an interest in architecture, that’s what I was looking forward to, but it was so much more. What I got was an incredibly detailed archaeological description of many ancient sites, complete with anthropology about the culture over time. There are more recent buildings as well, such as New York’s twin towers - and a creative accounting of the demise of Geocities (that mostly worked), but the bulk of the book was era spanning in scope. All the quality of a fascinating dive into history with a professor, ala The Great Courses, woven together into a cohesive, well written book.
I listened to the Audible audiobook. My only complaint was the absence of an accompanying PDF with the site names in print and photos (these exist in the Kindle edition, which I recommend even previewing, hough I bought it too).
Highly recommended.
This book was so much more than I expected. I somehow thought I was going to get a surface accounting of buildings that no longer stand. With an interest in architecture, that’s what I was looking forward to, but it was so much more. What I got was an incredibly detailed archaeological description of many ancient sites, complete with anthropology about the culture over time. There are more recent buildings as well, such as New York’s twin towers - and a creative accounting of the demise of Geocities (that mostly worked), but the bulk of the book was era spanning in scope. All the quality of a fascinating dive into history with a professor, ala The Great Courses, woven together into a cohesive, well written book.
I listened to the Audible audiobook. My only complaint was the absence of an accompanying PDF with the site names in print and photos (these exist in the Kindle edition, which I recommend even previewing, hough I bought it too).
Highly recommended.
August 31, 2025
Crawford uses the stories of lost buildings as an entry into an episodic history of the world. I enjoyed this book for somewhat the same reason that I enjoy reading about the development of life on earth. In both cases, it is fascinating to think about the layered history of life and artifacts, to imagine the different face that the earth has had throughout its very long lifespan.
Some of the buildings discussed were familiar to me -- the Twin Towers, Old St. Paul's Cathedral, the city of Amarna -- others were not, such as the great tent city of Genghis Khan and Palmyra. Reading FALLEN GLORY made me want to visit so many of these places such as Knossos on Crete and the ruins of Mycenae in Greece. There are ample illustrations -- black and white ones within the chapters, and two sections of color plates. This is a wonderful, extended meditation upon the transience of even the greatest of human material achievements that forces one to think about the ways in which our own material environments can change and even disappear entirely. (4.5 rounded down)
Some of the buildings discussed were familiar to me -- the Twin Towers, Old St. Paul's Cathedral, the city of Amarna -- others were not, such as the great tent city of Genghis Khan and Palmyra. Reading FALLEN GLORY made me want to visit so many of these places such as Knossos on Crete and the ruins of Mycenae in Greece. There are ample illustrations -- black and white ones within the chapters, and two sections of color plates. This is a wonderful, extended meditation upon the transience of even the greatest of human material achievements that forces one to think about the ways in which our own material environments can change and even disappear entirely. (4.5 rounded down)
September 12, 2023
This was an interesting book, and I would say it fits pretty squarely into the category of solid works of public history. It's a little unique in that it was kind of a chore to get through because of how long it is, but each of the chapters for each of the buildings (applied loosely) was only vignette length.
None of the stories were entirely new to me, a couple I knew enough about to quibble a bit with his history. Still, it made a fun walk through history from even prehistorical times up to the present.
Probably the book's most valuable contribution is in helping the reader think about the relationship between buildings and the people who create and use them. Are buildings more a reflection of people, or are people a reflection of buildings? I'd lean more towards the first of course, but it is interesting to see the impact of some of these buildings on people, even if they didn't last very long.
None of the stories were entirely new to me, a couple I knew enough about to quibble a bit with his history. Still, it made a fun walk through history from even prehistorical times up to the present.
Probably the book's most valuable contribution is in helping the reader think about the relationship between buildings and the people who create and use them. Are buildings more a reflection of people, or are people a reflection of buildings? I'd lean more towards the first of course, but it is interesting to see the impact of some of these buildings on people, even if they didn't last very long.
July 23, 2017
Very interesting. His definition of "building" was a little flexible and mostly ran to entire cities. While I picked this up because I love archaeology and the history of buildings, I stuck with it because it turned into little essays in world history.
There were a few editing mistakes, most notably the one where in the photo of the columns of the World Trade Center exterior the caption refers to Islamic architecture and in the text it refers to the same feature as Venetian (for what it's worth I think the photo caption seems more accurate, which is highly ironic). But so much interesting information about places I knew nothing of.
His writing about the World Trade Center did not dwell on the tragedy itself, but on the backgrounds of the man who put it up and the man who took it down.
On the whole, if you like architecture or world history you'll find this book enjoyable.
There were a few editing mistakes, most notably the one where in the photo of the columns of the World Trade Center exterior the caption refers to Islamic architecture and in the text it refers to the same feature as Venetian (for what it's worth I think the photo caption seems more accurate, which is highly ironic). But so much interesting information about places I knew nothing of.
His writing about the World Trade Center did not dwell on the tragedy itself, but on the backgrounds of the man who put it up and the man who took it down.
On the whole, if you like architecture or world history you'll find this book enjoyable.
March 11, 2022
I'm nearly at the end of Crawford's borderline masterpierce of non-fiction; I couldn't wait 'til I was finished to write my review. Partially because I think it demands a slow, methodical read. Mostly because it is simply that good. However much I am a fan of non-fiction, methodically slogging through the minutiae of history can be a gruelling task. Crawford manages it with something beyond grace; it borders on poetry. Each chapter is a portrait, not just of the places he's recounting tales of, but the people whose lives were woven around the subject buildings. His writing is deeply concerned with the human. There's a compassion and sorrow in his retelling of great victories and staggering defeats.
I do not think this is a book for everybody; but if you enjoy learning about history, this book is for you. I highly encourage giving it a read.
I do not think this is a book for everybody; but if you enjoy learning about history, this book is for you. I highly encourage giving it a read.
February 6, 2022
Some fascinating tales of buildings no longer with us, and the humans who interacted with them. I was more interested in the ancient edifices than the modern ones, but reading about the twin towers of the World Trade Center - the chapter featuring twin stories of the architect who designed it and the architect who became one of the pilots who destroyed it - hit me hard. When you've seen it fall to the ground many times in footage repeated over 20 years, the background becomes even more resonant. I recommend the book, with a confession that I picked and chose the buildings I was most curious to learn about.
February 13, 2022
A tour through history, religion, and culture, with buildings and formal gathering spaces as the catalyst, this book is chock full of great stories and so. much. information! At first, I was expecting more of an architectural focus, but quickly fell under the author's spell of weaving the variety of human aspects of the structures into the discussion of the buildings. One of the things I most love is when a single book prompts me to seek out other resources that help me delve more fully into things I've learned, and this books did that over and over again. I listened to this book, but someday I would like to have a print version of it in my library for referral and rereading.
December 9, 2025
This book is essentially a collection of 20 essays on architecture. The essays are loosely connected thematically, but you could easily read them individually. Crawford is a skilled storyteller and it's clear a huge amount of research went into this book. But the author keeps it all comprehensible and interesting, although a few articles were somewhat dull (the Geocities one?). An epilogue tying everything together would have been nice, since the book seems to lose its focus over its 500+-page length; but this is a minor complaint. Overall, it's a good book, an interesting survey of historically important buildings.
June 24, 2017
A great book that looks at some of the buildings, cities and monuments that have been lost over time and the larger meaning of their disappearances. Some site are ancient, such as the Tower of Babel or the Library of Alexandria. Others are more recent, such as Old St. Paul's in London, the Bastille in Paris or the World Trade Center in New York. The author even describes the rise and fall of the world's first "virtual city", GeoCities. The writing style is great, connecting the places today to what they once were in their heyday. Very enjoyable!
May 14, 2019
This is not a book I would have chosen to pick up on my own. It was this month's book club selection. I found it fascinating to learn so much based on the presence of significant buildings and the various uses over time. The historical significance came to life as the author explains how the architecture helped to shape the communities and the people who came to relay on the structures from a historical, political, religious and most times all three perspectives! Reading this work has shaped the way I will forever perceive new buildings and plans for new community centers.
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