Book excerpt: Paul Letarouilly's masterpiece, Edifices de Rome Moderne, has been hailed as the most beautiful book on Renaissance architecture ever published. Letarouilly (1795–1855) devoted thirty-five years to drawing the plans, sections, elevations, perspectives, and large-scale details of gardens, convents, palaces, and churches of Renaissance Rome. His keen observational ability and immaculate drawing skills make this work an indispensable sourcebook. In many cases his etchings remain the only measured plans or elevations available; he also recorded buildings destroyed by later demolitions. Our 1982 reprint of Edifices de Rome Moderne has been recognized as a classic in its own right: razor-sharp reproductions of the original plates in a usable format. Now we're delighted to offer the Edifices in an even-easier-to-use size, and in a sewn paperback binding to make it an affordable cornerstone of any architecture student's library.