In what he called his “illustrated guide to modern architecture,” which starts off the Bauhausbücher series, Gropius gives an overview of the international architecture of the mid-1920s. A preface by the author explores, briefly but in detail, the guiding principles that unite the avant-garde in all countries. This statement is followed by an extensive illustrated section showing examples of architecture from around the world. According to Gropius, these illustrations bear witness to the “development of a consistent worldview” that disposes of the prior role of the architect and expresses itself in a new language of shapes.
This first English edition of Volume 1 of the Bauhausbücher allows the reader to broaden his or her view of German architectural history by placing the achievements of the Bauhaus in an international context and by documenting and capturing its philosophy of reform in an illustrative way. It appears in original design and with separate commentary.