Vitruvius Without Text

Vitruvius' De architectura, written just before the turn of the era, is considered the first treatise on architectural theory. Since its rediscovery during the Renaissance, this enigmatic text has been repeatedly edited, refined, and reinterpreted. The present book skips textual exegesis and focuses on the material history of the prints that spread throughout Europe. It examines over a hundred editions of Vitruvius from 1486 to the present and traces the role of the printed page in establishing the authority of the Roman author. By focusing on the impact of the physical objects that embody the Vitruvian canon, it becomes clear how the history of books and the history of architecture intersect and how a symbiotic relationship arises between the printed and the built. The resulting picture is one of a zigzag thread between practice and theory, a complex weave of fruitful carelessness in architecture.