Paper palaces

De Architectura, the ten books by the Roman architect Vitruvius, survives as the only complete architectural treatise from antiquity. Its influence from the early Renaissance on was enormous, and many architects and theorists in Renaissance Italy, following Vitruvius's example, attempted to codify architectural practice and theory by writing their own treatises. In this important collection of essays, leading specialists examine the early editions of Vitruvius's writings and all the major Renaissance architectural treatises. The collection shows how architectural treatises by such authors as…