Cool Architecture

Review also includes:

Cool Philosophy, Daniel Tatarsky, 978-1909396777

Full marks to Pavilion for these terrific new titles, added to their attractive chunky landscape format series that also includes Cool Maths and Cool Science.  Both these new titles tackle big subjects in an imaginative and intelligent way that is at once challenging yet accessible to a young audience.  Graphic artwork, fact boxes and quotations enrich the pages and keep the pace lively.  Cool Architecture opens with a quote from Frank Lloyd Wright and concludes with Leonardo da Vinci.  Simon Armitage is an impressive guide, leading us through a timeline of architecture, from the Pyramids at Giza to London’s Shard and the work of architect Zaha Hadid, as well as explaining the tools used by architects today, from computer-aided design to biomimetics.  A pity that the publisher fails to include any information on either the author or illustrator, even on the press release.  Cool Philosophy follows a similar pattern, and author Daniel Tatarsky is equally skilful in guiding a young reader through philosophical conundrums and famous thinkers from Confucius and Socrates to Nietzsche and Wittgenstein.  It seems fitting to end with the quote by Thomas Nagel on the final page: ‘Philosophy is the childhood of the intellect, and a culture that tries to skip it will never grow up.’