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From developing initial thoughts to presenting a final design, an understanding of the basic principles of art can aid those working in architectural or design-based roles. This well-illustrated volume introduces considerations such as composition, form and colour and demonstrates how they can be used to communicate ideas effectively, whether working freehand or digitally.

In his broad outline of Britain’s architecture Hubert Pragnell includes domestic buildings as well as grand, religious and commercial examples, many of which are now in the care of the National Trust. Extensively illustrated with photographs and diagrams, the book offers an accessible introduction to the country’s built heritage, explaining how styles evolved and the contribution of two major figures: Inigo Jones and Sir Christopher Wren.

Although Twelver Shi‘ism is dominant in southern Iraq and Iran, it rarely appears in discussions of Islam’s artistic heritage. This book introduces the faith’s great shrines, its impact on craft industries and the annual processions when metal standards are paraded.

Off-mint

The First World War was witness to the most significant single memorialization process ever seen in the UK, due in part to the British government's decision that the bodies of the fallen would not be repatriated after hostilities ceased. Organized by region, this illustrated guide to Grade One and Grade Two memorials in England offers information about the designer, history and unveiling of each, along with the text of its inscription.

Half the world’s 50 tallest skyscrapers are in China, a testament to the country’s new-found prosperity and global ambition. This is a comprehensive guide to the contemporary design, engineering and technology that was used to create them, by a world expert on tall buildings. It features extensive colour photographs, architectural diagrams and cross-sections of giant towers in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and the emerging super-cities in the provinces.

A large painting of Venice hangs in Eton College, gifted to them in 1636 by Henry Wotton, the former British Ambassador to the city. The eight-metre canvas offers a bird's-eye view of the buildings and canals and includes tiny vignettes depicting everyday Venetian life. This volume examines the painting in detail in the context of the historic depictions of Venice and also discusses the life of Wotton himself.

These eleven papers concentrate on ecclesiastical architecture, with topics including evidence of early Christian monuments, Ewenny Priory, Llandaff Cathedral and the cloister arcade at Tintern Abbey.

Jonathan Glancey, formerly the Architecture and Design Editor at the Guardian, surveys buildings that have disappeared – whether by act of God, war or planning committee – and some that never existed. Well illustrated with photographs and reproductions, the book ranges from ancient structures 'lost in myth', such as the Tower of Babel and Darius's palace at Persepolis, to Norman Foster's Millennium Tower ('left on the drawing board'), and includes such famous lost buildings as Fonthill Abbey, Coventry Cathedral and the World Trade Center.

Darcy Grimaldo Grigsby traces a history that leads from Napoleon's encounter with the gigantic monuments of ancient Egypt to the building of the wonders of the industrial world: the Suez Canal, the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower and the Panama Canal. Grigsby shows how all four modern colossi owe their existence to French engineers and the fantasies of wealth, progress and colonial expansion they and the French financiers and politicians took as a call to destiny. With over 200 illustrations.

This fascinating and original book explores everything from tents to the eternally popular caravans and campers, with beautiful colour images and detailed information. It is a must have for all those who succumb to the appeal of mobile accommodation, but also for those who design and construct homes on wheels, as an essential source of reference.