In twenty-one essays ranging from the practices of the mid-eighteenth century to the contemporary work of Frank Gehry, this scholarly volume explores the architectural effects and the philosophical implications of fragmentation in architecture. The terrain ranges from the picturesque gardens and town planning of 18th-century England and France to Sir John Soane's interiors, to culminate in the work of several twentieth-century masters of the poetic fragment: Le Corbusier, Carlo Scarpa, Louis Kahn and Frank Gehry. Fragmentation in Modern Architecture marks the retirement of Robin Middleton, one of the most distinguished architectural historians of recent times. Middleton began his career as a technical editor of "Architectural Design" from 1964 to 1972, going on from there to become head of general studies at the Architectural Association, London, and then librarian and lecturer in the Faculty of Architecture and Art History at Cambridge University from 1972 to 1987. He has been at Columbia University in New York City since 1987. The contributors to the volume are: Barry Bergdoll, Werner Oechslin, Peter Carl, Dalibor Vesely, Philippe Duboy, Eileen Harris, Ian Gow, Sean Sawyer, Edward Wendt, David Watkin, Christopher Drew Armstrong, Richard Wittman, Vittoria di Palma, Joseph Disponzio, John Dixon Hunt, Jean-Michel Massing, Mary McLeod, Neil Levine, Sylvia Lavin, Alan Powers and Kenneth Frampton.
