Architecture and Modern Life — W. R. Lethaby

Architecture and Modern Life is a collection of essays by influential architect and educator W. R. Lethaby (1857–1931). In these writings, Lethaby foreshadows Le Corbusier and marks a fascinating transitional point between 19th- and 20th-century architectural thought. With radical foresight, he argues for an “efficiency style” in architecture, for towns that cultivate vitality, and against the science of “profit grinding and grabbing.” Often eerily prescient, phrases such as “there is a culture war going forward” and “There is much talk of Housing at the present time, but it is a case of much talk and little house” could be taken from today’s newspapers. The profound importance of these texts lies in Lethaby’s vision of art and design grounded not in style-novelty or aesthetic theory (“the mystification of architecture”) but in “some reality like health, serviceableness, or even perfect cheapness.”