The new Vitruvius, or what is architecture?

Let's be honest, which of us has read the 'De architectura libri decem' ("Ten books about architecture") by Vitruvius, or even part of the work? Even though searching Google for 'Vitruvius' will produce no less than a staggering 3.6 million hits, and even 'Marcus Vitruvius Pollio' produces as many as 22,000!

In spite of this there is of course only one Vitruvius and only a single original text, because the many secondary, tertiary and other interpretations of interpretations are not only bewildering in their sheer numbers but their content is often of dubious accuracy.

It is therefore highly praiseworthy that the Erfurt professor of architectural theory Günther Fischer has taken it upon himself to produce a methodologically reliable new translation which accurately reflects the original text in philological and architectural terms. The contemporary translation of key terms such as 'architectura', 'ars' and 'disciplina' has the effect of dusting off this 2000-year old text. Günther Fischer argues, for example, that nowadays no student of architecture anywhere in the world would claim to be studying 'the art of building'. 'Architectura' is and remains 'architecture', and accordingly 'De architectura libri decem' does not deal with 'observations on the art of building' but architectural matters relating to design, function and style. Prof. Fischer's introduction, summaries and commentaries are also revealing, bringing us a Vitruvius who sounds amazingly up-to-date and really readable.

Facts:
Author: Günther Fischer
256 pages, 50 illustrations
Format 14 x 19 cm, paperback
Birkhäuser Verlag Basle Boston Berlin in cooperation with Bauverlag Gütersloh 2009
Publisher's recommended price: 22.90 EUR
Language: German
ISBN: 978-3-7643-8805-8