‘The most spectacular of all the creations of the Gothic era’, the rose window still has the power to transfix 21st-century tourists in cathedrals such a Notre-Dame, Strasbourg or York Minster. In this magnificent study, with photographs of almost 300 roses, Cowen takes a chronological approach, exploring the origins and evolution of the form up to the present day, while letting ‘each window speak for itself’. Other chapters discuss the iconography, glazing, geometry and construction of rose windows, and the book concludes with a gazetteer.

This guide explores the origins, history and building materials of Oxfordshire’s parish churches. The authoritative introduction examines the ways in which the buildings have developed over the last thousand years, and the gazetteer features 116 of the finest medieval and post-medieval examples in the county. Illustrated with over 300 colour photographs and floor plans, the survey provides descriptions of significant architectural features, sculpture and stained glass, and identifies often-overlooked details unique to each site.

In 1636, Sir Henry Wotton, former English ambassador to Venice, donated a huge bird’s-eye view of the island city to Eton College, where it hangs to this day. Published to celebrate the restoration of the painting, this book investigates the circumstances of its creation by Odoardo Fialetti in 1611, and its place amid other depictions of Venice. Superb photographic reproductions pick out the vignettes of Venetian life with which the artist peopled the city’s squares.

The exuberant ironwork adorning many of Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí's projects was a significant influence on the development of blacksmithing and is the starting point for this exploration of the art of contemporary wrought iron. Explaining the craft's history and techniques, the book provides over 600 photographs and drawings demonstrating an array of creative designs from small-scale domestic items to grand projects, serving as a showcase and inspiration for designers, architects, working practitioners and anyone interested in the art. Slightly off-mint

The Cotswolds are famed for their honey-coloured stone cottages. This book explores the region’s vernacular architecture from the Middle Ages to the Victorian era, and explains a wealth of details, from doors and windows to bargeboards and finials.

Jonathan Glancey, formerly the Architecture and Design Editor at the Guardian, surveys buildings that have gone – whether by act of God, war or planning committee – and some that never were. Richly 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.

Written by an art historian, this volume 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 Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower and Suez and Panama Canals. 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.