Architecture: Gothic and Renaissance is T. Roger Smith’s concise comparative survey of the two great post-classical traditions of Western building. Smith explains the structural principles, ornament, and historical development of Gothic architecture, with its pointed arches and soaring vaults, and the Renaissance return to classical proportion and the orders.
Written as an accessible handbook, the book sets the two styles side by side, illuminating both their differences and their place in the broader story of European architecture. Smith, a practising architect and teacher, writes clearly for students and general readers alike. It serves as a compact and balanced introduction to medieval and Renaissance building and to the long debate between the two ideals they represent.