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Home A Short History of an Idea Witold Rybczynski 9780140102314 Books

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Home A Short History of an Idea Witold Rybczynski 9780140102314 Books

"The appearance of [the word] 'comfort' to signify a level of domestic amenity is not documented until the eighteenth century," writes author Witold Rybczynski. That's because, as he explains, until then no word was needed "to articulate an idea that previously had either not existed or had not required expression." The entire book is a historical examination of the evolution of domesticity, starting in the Middle Ages. And for the most part, it's fascinating.

What? Were people uncomfortable until the 18th century? How could someone not-care about the sense that one's home was a private retreat from the world? Apparently, that question didn't really come up because privacy was unavailable for centuries. As the author explains, "What is unexpected about medieval houses, however, is not the emptiness of furniture ... but the crush and hubbub of life within them." Houses were meeting places and business environments, and households up to 25 people were not uncommon. "Since all these people lived in one or at most two rooms, privacy was unknown," the author says.

It's a long way from that environment to today's expectations, and Rybczynski takes us from the Middle Ages to the precursors of "modern domesticity" in the homes of the 17th century Netherlands (including a new emphasis on furniture) to the evolution of the chair (such as the history of the Windsor chair) to Victorian books on architecture and household layout (I had never before considered the importance of ventilation in homes built for coal heat).

I first encountered this book when my husband's woodworking class included it on the Recommended Reading list, and I understand why. Anyone designing furniture is doing it for the user's comfort, which means one needs to understand, "What do we mean by 'comfort' anyway?" If you enjoy books that follow a particular "ingredient" (such as Nathaniel's Nutmeg: Or the True and Incredible Adventures of the Spice Trader Who Changed the Course of History or Kurlansky's Salt: A World History), I expect this book will appeal to you, too.

If you had asked me about this book halfway through, I would have insisted that it was five stars. Rybczynski is opinionated, charming, and can make history come alive. But by the end... well, somewhere in there Rybczynski lost me. Maybe it's because he dispenses with my favored Arts & Crafts movement a little too hastily (sniff!). More likely, it was just that he had passed the historical era about which I was most curious (once we got to the 18th century I was pretty ho-hum about it all). I wandered away to other books and had to force myself to finish this. I don't mean to imply that the book is bad in any way; it's just a mix of 3 stars and 5 stars, and I expect its usefulness and fascination will be defined more by your own interest in these times than by his writing. Still, I'm very glad I picked up this book. If you have any interest in home design, architecture, or social evolution, it's worth the purchase price even for the marvelous first two-thirds (and probably the last part, too). It's also worthwhile for anyone who has to think about design in a larger sense, such as software user interface designers: What is it that makes someone feel satisfied with what you created? In other words, I may not love everything about this book, but what I like I REALLY like.


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Home A Short History of an Idea Witold Rybczynski 9780140102314 Books Reviews

This book is a very pleasant and enjoyable surprise. I highly recommend it.
When this book was suggested in bookclub I had no idea it would be so engrossing. A really wonderful book that I wish I had time to read again as it perfectly describes and gives a history of our domestic culture.
This book contains a treasury of information useful in understanding home life in western civilization through the ages. All this is necessary for the understanding of our architecture, literature and our history in general. Rybczynski uses the concept ot comfort as it evolved in homes to tie it together. And comfortable is a good way to describe his writing style. An academically rigorous study set out in a very readable manner. Excellent.
Very interesting. I never knew that homes were once considered just a shelter, and had nothing to do with comfort.
A book of the philosophy of Home - interesting read about the use of space, furniture, and the things you choose to surround yourself and your family. A broadening and accessible read.
It is good item for me. Thanks
Traces the evolution of the European-influenced home from medieval times to our present age. Rybczynski describes how the home evolved from an uncomfortable, group dwelling-place into a private, comfortable, abode for family. As a professional designer it helped me gain a deeper appreciation for the social innovations that are necessary in order for design solutions to be accepted and incorporated into our daily lives.
Each chapter features a painting or photograph to which Rybczynski makes reference within the chapter's text. This approach is highly informative, but leads to my only two complaints about the book (rationale for only 4 stars);
1) Mediocre quality of the images.
2) Only a single image per chapter. The text would have benefited from additional visual references to illustrate the chapter points.
"The appearance of [the word] 'comfort' to signify a level of domestic amenity is not documented until the eighteenth century," writes author Witold Rybczynski. That's because, as he explains, until then no word was needed "to articulate an idea that previously had either not existed or had not required expression." The entire book is a historical examination of the evolution of domesticity, starting in the Middle Ages. And for the most part, it's fascinating.

What? Were people uncomfortable until the 18th century? How could someone not-care about the sense that one's home was a private retreat from the world? Apparently, that question didn't really come up because privacy was unavailable for centuries. As the author explains, "What is unexpected about medieval houses, however, is not the emptiness of furniture ... but the crush and hubbub of life within them." Houses were meeting places and business environments, and households up to 25 people were not uncommon. "Since all these people lived in one or at most two rooms, privacy was unknown," the author says.

It's a long way from that environment to today's expectations, and Rybczynski takes us from the Middle Ages to the precursors of "modern domesticity" in the homes of the 17th century Netherlands (including a new emphasis on furniture) to the evolution of the chair (such as the history of the Windsor chair) to Victorian books on architecture and household layout (I had never before considered the importance of ventilation in homes built for coal heat).

I first encountered this book when my husband's woodworking class included it on the Recommended Reading list, and I understand why. Anyone designing furniture is doing it for the user's comfort, which means one needs to understand, "What do we mean by 'comfort' anyway?" If you enjoy books that follow a particular "ingredient" (such as Nathaniel's Nutmeg Or the True and Incredible Adventures of the Spice Trader Who Changed the Course of History or Kurlansky's Salt A World History), I expect this book will appeal to you, too.

If you had asked me about this book halfway through, I would have insisted that it was five stars. Rybczynski is opinionated, charming, and can make history come alive. But by the end... well, somewhere in there Rybczynski lost me. Maybe it's because he dispenses with my favored Arts & Crafts movement a little too hastily (sniff!). More likely, it was just that he had passed the historical era about which I was most curious (once we got to the 18th century I was pretty ho-hum about it all). I wandered away to other books and had to force myself to finish this. I don't mean to imply that the book is bad in any way; it's just a mix of 3 stars and 5 stars, and I expect its usefulness and fascination will be defined more by your own interest in these times than by his writing. Still, I'm very glad I picked up this book. If you have any interest in home design, architecture, or social evolution, it's worth the purchase price even for the marvelous first two-thirds (and probably the last part, too). It's also worthwhile for anyone who has to think about design in a larger sense, such as software user interface designers What is it that makes someone feel satisfied with what you created? In other words, I may not love everything about this book, but what I like I REALLY like.