"The ever-lucid New Yorker critic offers a nuanced exploration of architecture's allure, how buildings both modest and regal are vital 'for the making of place, and the making of memory.'"—John King, San Francisco Chronicle (Holiday Gift Guide: Architecture Books) "Best of all, Goldberger combines forensic analysis of the architectural art with a sense of wonder."—Jonathan Wright, Scottish Sunday Herald ... Read more"Paul Goldberger is America's preeminent public critic of architecture, and his wise, compassionate Why Architecture Matters sums up a lifetime spent exploring, reflecting and writing. . . . Goldberger does not prescribe solutions but argues passionately that architecture must continue to define our place in the world in a way that 'startles us and comforts us at the same time.'"—Kirk Savage, Washington Post "The strength of populist writing like Goldberger’s is that it is accessible and engaging."—Penny Lewis, Blueprint Magazine "This world-spanning guide is inviting and revelatory."—The Independent "There isn’t a universal recipe for what makes a good building, but there are key ingredients. . . . The author speaks from the heart and is at his best when discussing actual buildings, comparing good with bad, to illustrate what works."—Emma Cullinan, Irish Times (Weekend Review) Selected for the 2009 Holiday Gift Guide, John King, San Francisco Chronicle Selected as one of the Best Books on Architecture in 2009, Inga Saffron, Philadelphia Inquirer Selected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2010 in the Architecture category "Paul Goldberger is America's foremost interpreter of public architecture. . . ."—Tracy Kidder "Why Architecture Matters reminds us that in a democratic capitalist society, the only sure guarantee that we will get good architecture is if we shake off our ignorance and start to take a personal interest in the design of our neighborhoods. Here is a succinct, lyrical and heartfelt book that celebrates the best works of architecture and points the way to being able to build more of it in the world today. There are so many guides to the world of art, so few to the world of architecture. This is among the very best."—Alain de Botton, author of The Architecture of Happiness "A beautifully written and generous meditation on the art of building that every aspiring architect should read."—Witold Rybczynski, author of The Perfect House Show Less