Eugène Viollet-le-Duc - Histoire d'une maison - 1890

Fascinating illustrated edition of this educational work by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, which traces, through a dialogued narrative between an uncle and his nephews, the architectural, social, and technical evolution of the human dwelling, from its origins to the bourgeois house of the 19th century -

Designed to instruct cultivated youth, this book is part of Viollet-le-Duc's series of educational tales, where fiction provides a framework for a methodical exploration of construction principles, materials, styles, and domestic functions -

The author lays out the foundations of vernacular architecture, the advances of engineering, the social uses of space, and the links between form, function, and climate -

Each chapter illustrates a stage of transformation — from the primitive hut to the medieval house, from the Renaissance dwelling to the modern habitation — with particular attention to constructive rationality, hygiene, lighting, and ventilation -

The text is accompanied by numerous engravings, plans, sections and elevations, often drawn by Viollet-le-Duc himself, which allow visualization of the structures, volumes and technical details -

Eugène Viollet-le-Duc - History of a House - SD (Circa 1890) - J. Hetzel & Cie -
260 Pages.

Good condition of the binding, work in its full red morocco with front board illustrated, wear from use, faded cover, damaged spine, bumped and worn heads and corners, rear joint cracked, gilded edges, smooth spine illustrated in color, gilded title and author’s name, black-foil rules on the second plate –

Good interior condition, some scattered foxing, work enriched with beautiful in- and out-of-text illustrations including in the frontispiece (plans, sections and elevations, often drawn by Viollet-le-Duc himself, which help visualize the structures, volumes and technical details), blue endpapers in good condition with handwritten annotations on one guard, a guard detached –

Delivery service provided within a few days –