Rice's Architectural Primer

The other day when I was writing the Wonderful Windows post I was at a loss for the term describing the wood dividers used to divide panes of glass in certain window styles. {FYI this word is "mullion"}
My first attempt at reacquainting myself with the term was to search the internet. I tried several search terms (even an image search) but was coming up with nothing useful. Sighing in irritation I just happened to glance over at my bookshelf and Rice's Architectural Primer caught me eye.

Rice's Architectural Primer by Matthew Rice

This little book is very unassuming given it's 7'' x 5'' stature but it is bursting with a wealth of imformation and remarkable architectural illustrations accompanied by terms and descriptions. It reminds me a lot of Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever. Thank goodness I'd made that purchase all those months ago! I found the term I was looking for in about thirty seconds, if only I'd thought of this book sooner and saved myself the irritation of scouring the internet. {I should mention that I am primarily a visual learner.}

What makes this book awesome, besides the illustrations, is the diminutive size. I can keep this book with me in my apartment without giving up all the shelf space that my architectural history textbooks which are large and heavy would require while still having all the information I need. I should mention that this book is specifically geared to the buildings and architecture throughout British history but a good portion of the structural and decorative vocabulary carries over to architecture at large. You should have this book even if you can keep your plinths, pilasters and pediments in order!

{Images: Matthew Rice via Amazon}