Classical architecture is a visual "language" and like any other language has its own grammatical rules. Classical buildings as widely spaced in time as a Roman temple, an Italian Renaissance palace and a Regency house all show an awareness of these rules even if they vary them, break them or poetically contradict them. Sir Christopher Wren described them as the "Latin" of architecture and the analogy is almost exact. There is the difference, however, that whereas the learning of Latin is a slow and difficult business, the language of classical architecture is relatively simple. It is still, to a great extent, the mode of expression of our urban surroundings, since classical architecture was the common language of the western world till comparatively recent times. Anybody to whom architecture makes a strong appeal has probably already discovered something of its grammar for himself.in this book, the author's purpose is to set out as simply and vividly as possible the exact grammatical workings of this architectural language. He is less concerned with its development in Greece and Rome than with its expansion and use in the centuries since the Renaissance. He explains the vigorous discipline of "the orders" and the scope of "rustication"; the dramatic deviations of the Baroque and, in the last chapter, the relationship between the classical tradition and the "modern" architecture of today. The book is intended for anybody who cares for architecture but more specifically for students beginning a course in the history of architecture, to whom a guide to the classical rules will be an essential companion.

约翰·萨莫森（John Summerson，1904—1992）爵士是当代最伟大的英国建筑史学家之一。从1945年起直至1984年退休，他一直担任约翰·索恩爵士博物馆馆长，同时被聘为牛津大学和剑桥大学斯莱德艺术讲座教授，并在伦敦伯克贝克学院主讲建筑史。在他众多的著作中，最著名的可能是《乔治时代的伦敦》和《1530—1830年的英国建筑》，两者都是该领域的经典著作。他也是“艺术世界”系列中《十八世纪建筑》的作者。

张欣玮（译者），1985年浙江大学文物博物馆专业历史学学士，任职于浙江省文物考古研究所，多年从事古建筑保护工作。1996年美国罗马林达大学婚姻家庭治疗硕士毕业后，从事对照顾老年父母的成年子女的心理研究，有多项论文发表。后在西雅图大学研读教育心理学，为美国国家级学校心理学家，任职华盛顿州塔科马市公立学区至今。爱好阅读，遍访名山大川，文明古迹。