Bunin, A., Ilyin, L., Polyakov, N., Shkvarikov, V.

[BRIEF HISTORY OF URBAN PLANNING] Gradostroitel’stvo [i.e. Urban Planning]

Item #6415

Moscow: Izd-vo Akad. arkhitektury SSSR, 1945 (tip. im. Stalina). 327 pp., 6 pp. of ills., plans: ill. 26.5x21.1 cm. In original publisher’s cloth binding. Binding slightly bumped with tear of the spine. Otherwise in a very good condition. With illustrated endpapers.
Scarce. First edition. Edited by V. Shkvarikov.
This brief history of urban planning was compiled by the corresponding members of the Academy of Architecture of the Soviet Union Andrey Bunin (1905-1977), Lev Ilyin (1879-1942), Nikolay Polyakov (1898-1969), and Vyacheslav Shkvarikov (1908-1971) in 1945. In the edition, the authors review the history of urban planning and cover such periods as antiquity, Renaissance, Baroque, 18th-19th century architecture in Western Europe and Russia, and modern urban planning both in the USSR and abroad. Each of the 12 chapters of the book begins with a brief general description of the cities of the period under consideration. In this description, the authors provide information on the population and the size of cities as well as the motives for choosing a place for the construction of a city and examine the location and architecture of streets and squares, landscaping, technical equipment of the city, etc. This is followed by monographic descriptions of the most famous cities and conclusions that summarize each chapter. Among the countries reviewed are Egypt, Ancient Greece, Babylon, Byzantium, China, France, India, Brazil, the USA, Russia, the USSR, etc. The 20th century architecture of the Soviet Union covers two main topics: history of the reconstruction of Moscow and Leningrad.
Materials for the book were collected and developed at the Academy of Architecture of the USSR on the eve of World War II, in order to create a manual for architects and students of architectural universities. However, the compilation of the edition (with the writing of a new text, with analyzes and the final selection of illustrations) was entirely carried out during the war in the years 1942-1943.
The edition includes numerous schemes and black and white illustrations showing new buildings on Stachek street in Leningrad, Manezhnaya square in Moscow, Institute of Sklifasovsky, the building of the Lenin Library in Moscow, the project of the city planning of Nalchik, the views of Baku, Tbilisi, Sochi, Rostov on Don, etc. The photographic material presented in the edition is particularly important as it captures the state of the 20th century architecture before renovations caused by the course of time.

The only copy is located in the National Library of Medicine.

Price: $500.00