Hardback with a sewn binding; 3 pounds; illustrated; end notes, bibliography; indexed.
In this richly illustrated, well-researched survey, Philip Drew traces the continuous development of lightweight structures in architecture from early tent dwellings to recent manifestations. His historical perspective affords a view of the newest advances as one part of the long search to find more efficient methods of spanning.
Table of Contents Highlights: Traditional Tensile Architecture, Tents & Nomads, Ice Age Tents, The Kibitka of Central Asia, The Black Tent of the Middle East, Suspension Bridges, Modern Tensile Architecture, Linear Tension. Surface Tension, Revival of the Tent.