The Bloomsbury Architecture Library Core Collection offers an indispensable collection of resources to support the study of architecture, urbanism, and interior design.

Explore 5,500 years of the world’s architecture through Sir Banister Fletcher’s Global History of Architecture 21st edition; browse through an interactive visual timeline of global architectural history; study in-depth buildings pages; or undertake research through Bloomsbury’s extensive library of architecture ebooks. All these resources – and more – can be accessed through the Core Collection.

The Core Collection is available to purchase via annual subscription (including regular content updates) or via perpetual access (with content updates available to purchase). For more information, please contact us.

The Core Collection includes

Sir Banister Fletcher’s Global History of Architecture 21st Edition

Produced in partnership with the Royal Institute of British Architects and the University of London, and exclusive to the Core Collection, the landmark new edition of this iconic reference work includes:

• Two volumes, seven parts and 102 chapters that clearly divide 5,500 years of architecture by cultural context, resources, and technologies for easy comparative analysis
• Unparalleled detail on the world’s architecture from pre-history to the present day
• A global focus, reflecting the very latest scholarship in global architectural history
• Descriptions of thousands of major buildings, accompanied by over 2,200 photographs, drawings, and building plans including new and original material.

This is the first full re-write since Banister Fletcher was alive, with updates by over 100 experts.

Critical and Contextual eBooks

Explore an extensive library of eBooks from Bloomsbury’s fast-growing, forward-thinking list of architecture publications. Topics range from architectural history, to architectural politics, urbanism, landscape, and interiors – all designed to provoke further thought and support research.

Building Pages

Individual building pages bring together the most essential information about the world's most important buildings all in one place.

These pages include a building's location, dates, architects/designers, building type and key materials. It also includes images and short descriptive text, plus useful links through to the rest of the resource.

World Map

Browse the world's architecture through the interactive world map. The map links through to the rest of the resource, and highlights the number of building pages and articles available per region. This feature supports smooth and straightforward location-specific research.

Sir Banister Fletcher Glossary

From abacus to ziyada, the Sir Banister Fletcher Glossary contains over 900 key architectural terms, clearly explained and defined. Taken from Sir Banister Fletcher’s Global History of Architecture, the glossary covers a complete range of technical, design, and historical terms, including non-English language vocabulary, and serves both as a core reference resource and an invaluable primer to enhancing the reader’s understanding of global architectural history.