This text provides a critical history of Western architecture theory from the ancient world to the present day. It looks at how the architect generates architectural form in order to explain a number of issues, including the origins of style, the persistence of tradition and the role of genius. The book describes the major design theories in eight chronological periods, conveying their flavour with contemporary quotations. Each theory is analyzed for its strengths and weaknesses. Gelernter identifies an important relationship between theories of design and theories of knowledge, and explains and analyzes each period's dominant epistemological concepts. The contemporary theories of education are also examined, as many theorists from Vitruvius to Gropius included precepts for teaching as integral components of their ideas.