Book excerpt: The glasshouses of the nineteenth century represent a remarkable confluence of opposites in architecture and technology. The architecture was designed to create an artificial climate in which people could return to paradise, and yet the technical means employed were also basic to the century's developing industrial grime -the other side of paradise. Enriched by more than 700 illustrations, Houses of Glass chronicles these pristine structures as they evolved from hothouses into exhibition halls, ballrooms, and theaters. Georg Kohlmaier is an architect and Barna von Sartory a sculptor. They have collaborated on many books and articles on contemporary architecture.