{"product_id":"the-university-a-history-in-stone-silk-and-blood-william-whyte","title":"The University : A History in Stone, Silk, and Blood – William Whyte","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe University : A History in Stone, Silk, and Blood – William Whyte\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eA sweeping history of the university as a physical and cultural institution, exploring how architecture, materials, and place have shaped nearly nine centuries of higher education.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eUniversities are often celebrated as centres of learning and intellectual exchange, yet their histories are equally embedded in the buildings, landscapes, objects, and materials that define campus life. From medieval lecture rooms furnished with little more than straw seating to contemporary campuses of concrete, glass, steel, and digital infrastructure, the university has always been shaped by its physical environment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe University\u003c\/i\u003e, historian William Whyte places architecture and material culture at the heart of the story of higher education. Organised around a series of emblematic materials, including stone, paper, iron, concrete, and silk, the book traces the evolution of universities from medieval Europe to the modern global campus. Through these materials, Whyte reveals how changing ideas about knowledge, society, status, and public life have left their mark on university buildings, landscapes, furniture, and institutions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eFrom the courtyards and colleges of medieval Paris to ambitious twentieth-century campus developments across the world, the book examines how architecture has reflected competing visions of education and community. Along the way, it explores enduring debates surrounding patronage, identity, tradition, expansion, and the relationship between the academic ideal and the practical realities of university life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRichly researched and engagingly written, \u003ci\u003eThe University\u003c\/i\u003e offers a fascinating perspective on the history of higher education through the lens of architecture, design, and material culture. Essential reading for architects, planners, historians, and anyone interested in the evolution of the campus as a distinctive built environment.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthors: \u003c\/b\u003eWilliam Whyte\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Harvard University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat: \u003c\/b\u003eHardback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages: \u003c\/b\u003e448\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Lato',sans-serif; color: #333333; background: white;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #333333; background: white;\"\u003e9780674495180\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublication date: \u003c\/b\u003eNovember 2026\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"William Whyte","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58816871793023,"sku":"9780674495180","price":29.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0263\/7797\/7910\/files\/9780674495180-TheUniversity.jpg?v=1792076920","url":"https:\/\/bookshop.rias.org.uk\/products\/the-university-a-history-in-stone-silk-and-blood-william-whyte","provider":"RIAS Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}